On May 30, 2021,
civil society organizations, including HaMoked, wrote to the Minister of Public Security and the Attorney General about the “Law and Order” operation launched by the Israel Police in response to the recent flare up of violence in Israel. The organizations criticized the arrest operation for being discriminatory, targeting only Palestinians (Israeli citizens and residents) and ignoring Israeli Jews who participated in violence towards Palestinians. Moreover, despite the requests of Palestinian communal leaders, the operation does not seek to curb the scourge of violent organized crime in Palestinian society, and seems aimed at suppressing the right to protest among Palestinians in the country.
So far, over 340 people have been arrested as part of the operation, most of whom were released shortly after. Many of those detained are veteran social activists, organizers of non-violent protests, artists and public leaders, as well as a significant number of minors, some just on the threshold of the age of criminal responsibility. The police violence characterizing recent arrests also points to this being a case of over-policing intended to deter Palestinians from realizing their political rights.
