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May. 10, 2021
The police on Monday arrested the safety engineer who gave the green light for the traditional Lag Ba’omer celebration at Mount Meron that ended in 45 people being fatally suffocated and 150 people injured. His assistant, a retired police superintendent, was also arrested.
Investigators are also saying that the police Northern District commander and other officers should be questioned as suspects for their alleged involvement in causing the casualties.
From the investigation to date, it appears that the main reason for the crowding and pressure at the Toldot Aharon bonfire compound, outside which the disaster occurred, was that police gave the Hasidic court permission to hold its bonfire at a different time than the other bonfires at the compound. This meant that the crowd was not dispersed among several bonfires, as usually happens, but that additional thousands crowded in to see the Toldot Aharon blaze. Moreover, no policemen were stationed at the compoun
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I thought long and hard before I decided to run, yet again, on the 2021 Blue and White ticket for Knesset. I did it because I believe that Benny Gantz and his colleagues have done more for Israel than any political party in recent memory. As I see it, when you get past the cynicism that informs many voters’ preferences in the present election, Blue and White, is the only party that makes sense.
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Police have arrested dozens next to Gantz’s home over weeks of protests, citing restrictions requiring demonstrators to keep a distance of several hundred meters from officials’ private homes. Protesters argue that Gantz’s role as alternate prime minister confers the status of official residence to his home, as in the case of the prime minister.
Eshed was asked by committee chair, lawmaker Miki Haimovich of Kahol Lavan, whether it was true that Gantz had asked him to avoid arrests and allow the protests. Eshed confirmed this and responded: “Yes, he called me personally, and I explained to him that he was exceeding his authority and that I would not break the law. I can’t have selective enforcement because he is willing to allow demonstrations next to his home.”