Tel Aviv Police Chief Ami Eshid resigned on Wednesday after members of the government pressured him to crack down on anti-government protests in the city. According to Ished, he was asked for “unreasonable strength”.
If Esheed had lived up to government expectations, the police chief said on Israeli television, the emergency room at a local hospital would have been full after every protest.
“For the first time in three decades of service, I experienced the absurd reality in which keeping calm and quiet was not what was being asked of me, but quite the opposite.”
Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The demonstrators carried Israeli flags and chanted “democracy”. During the protests, a highway was closed and several fires started. Clashes also took place with the police.
Ished had announced his departure before the protests began. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accused the police chief on Wednesday of making a political statement “motivated by left-wing politicians.” Ben Gvir is one of those calling for the suppression of protesters.
Ben Gvir is a controversial politician. He is known for his sympathy for extremists (years). As a young man he was not allowed to do his military service, because the army considered him too radical. And in the first month of forming the new government, he has already caused a stir by making a provocative visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. There is the Islamic holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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