VIDEO - Former commanders of the Jerusalem District police harshly criticized Monday the police's poor treatment of Sunday's riots
in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber.
Hundreds of right-wing protestors managed to reach the neighborhood, where the family of the terrorist responsible for the shooting attack at Mercaz Harav yeshiva resides, and throw stones at locals' house.
"There was enough time to prepare for the events in Jabel Mukaber and it was clear to everyone what was going to happen," retired police commander Arieh Amit stated. "This incident was simply poorly handled."
Amit slammed claims by police officials that forces were "surprised by the intensity of the riots," pointing to the fact that the protestors published their intentions to march on the neighborhood beforehand.
"Yesterday's failure reflects a combination of a lack of experience and a lack of motivation on the officers' part," he stated.
According to the former police commander, "In recent years right-wing activists have accumulated 'operational experience,' many of them served in elite units, they are familiar with the security forces' way of thinking and manage to outsmart them."
Protestors clash with police (Photo: AP)
Amit also commented on what he referred to as the crisis of motivation among the police forces, triggered by politicians' failure to offer public support for the force after clashes with rightists.
Another former Jerusalem police chief, retired Commander Mickey Levy, was also astonished to hear of the police's poor preparedness for the violence. "This is unlike the Jerusalem District, which has immense experience in preparing for demonstrations.
"This is the city where the greatest number of rallies is being held, and the officers should have plenty of experience… I sincerely hope that an operational inquiry will be launched to examine the events."
Levy warned that permitting riots of this nature to develop "is simply unthinkable. This would lead us to anarchy, we cannot allow it."
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