Israel: Ben-Gvir urges police to start arresting anti-government protesters who block roads

Israel’s new extreme-right National Security Minister has ordered police to start arresting anti-government protesters who block roads, introducing yet another draconian policing measure during his first days in office. 

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a central figure in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, said police should stop using soft-handed tactics against demonstrators who rally against the government. Instead, he wants to expand powers of arrest and urged police to use water cannons to disperse crowds. 

The minister's comments came after a mass protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday, when tens of thousands occupied Habima Square to condemn sweeping changes to Israel’s judicial system. 

"I’m in favour of protests, but anyone who blocks roads and who gets wild needs to be arrested," Ben-Gvir said, according to The Times of Israel. 

"If you use water cannons in Jerusalem [on right-wing protesters], I expect you to do the same in Tel Aviv," he added. 

Senior Israeli police officials have rebuked claims of a double standard between policing methods in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, telling Israel's Channel 12 that police in Jerusalem use tactics proportional to the combative nature of the demonstrations. 

Ben-Gvir is expected to speak with Police Commission Kobi Shabtai on Tuesday about the enforcement of his new punitive tactics. The proposed measures also include arresting protesters for making comparisons between the current government and the Nazis - a comparison made by some protesters at the Tel Aviv demonstrations.

The protests in Tel Aviv on Saturday were sparked by Israel's Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who announced a controversial legal reform package that would drastically change the powers of the high court.

Over the past week, Ben-Gvir has inflamed tensions between Israelis and Palestinians by storming the Al-Aqsa mosque compound - a move which sparked international condemnation - and ordering police to tear down Palestinian flags. 

Ben-Gvir, known for supporting Israeli terrorists and chanting discriminatory anti-Arab slogans, has equated displaying the Palestinian flag to "a form of supporting terror". 

The red, green and white flag is a worldwide symbol of Palestinian resistance, flown all over the world to show solidarity with the millions of people living under Israeli military occupation and siege.