CSM- In Israel’s democracy battle, an added front: Politicized police "a mass protest movement – unprecedented in size and duration in Israel’s history – was mobilized to counter what democracy activists portrayed as a naked power grab. Demonstrations packed streets around the country for about 40 weeks straight, until the devastating Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault thrust the country into war and brought the overhaul efforts to a halt."

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  By Dina Kraft Special correspondent

  @dinakraft

Jan. 10, 2025, 9:19 a.m. ET | TEL AVIV, Israel

Blocking Arab citizens’ protests against the war in Gaza. Making a mid-level officer who ordered aggressive tactics against anti-government demonstrators the head of Israel’s national police force. Another officer’s refusal to arrest violent Jewish settlers in the hopes of currying favor with his boss.

This is just a partial list of how the Israeli police force has been politicized under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The process has proceeded relentlessly since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power two years ago and gave Mr. Ben-Gvir, an extremist settler provocateur with his own long rap sheet, the highest law enforcement job in the country... READ MORE

Why We [CSM] Wrote This

A story focused on

Justice

How central is an independent police force to democracy? In Israel, the politicization of the national police is seen as part of the hard-line government’s revived judicial overhaul program, which sparked a mass pro-democracy protest movement.

"... For Palestinian citizens of Israel, the heavy-handed police stifling of dissent is nothing new. But the rise in systemic targeting of the community, especially when it comes to freedom of speech and the right to protest under Mr. Ben-Gvir and more so since the war began, has been marked.

Some 200 Palestinian citizens and East Jerusalem residents are facing charges for exercising their rights of freedom of expression, according to Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal center based in Haifa..."   READ MORE  https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2025/0110/israel-netanyahu-ben-gvir-police-democracy

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

 

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"Adalah" is an Arabic word that means JUSTICE    https://www.adalah.org/en 

Adalah’s mission is to promote human rights in Israel in general and the rights of the Palestinian minority, citizens of Israel, in particular (around 1.5 million people, or 20% of the population). This work also includes promoting and defending the human rights of all individuals subject to the jurisdiction of the State of Israel (e.g. Palestinian residents of the OPT). Adalah is the first Palestinian Arab-run legal center in Israel, and the sole Palestinian organization that works before Israeli courts to protect the human rights of Palestinians in Israel and in the OPT.  https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7189