Shin Bet head Ronen Bar on Motzei Shabbos spoke with Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai about the increase in violence and incitement against elected officials in general and the Prime Minister in particular.

“An increase in the scope and severity of public statements has been identified in recent days with an emphasis on social networks which contain calls for physical harm and violent acts against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other elected officials,” Bar said.

“The right to demonstrate and protest is a legal and important right in a democratic country and at the same time it must be clarified that calls for harm and violence are outside the legitimate discourse.”

The State Attorney’s Office stated: “The State Attorney’s Office takes a serious view of the radicalization of public discourse, with the infiltration of more and more extreme and blatant statements that clearly go beyond legitimate and objective criticism and the limits of freedom of expression.

“In recent days, the State Attorney’s Office has authorized Israel Police to open an investigation in a number of cases of severe statements, which allegedly violated the crime of incitement to violence.

“The State Attorney’s Office will not hesitate to authorize criminal investigations in cases of statements that exceed the boundaries of freedom of expression, whether they were heard from a person belonging to one camp or another, and in the appropriate cases will even prosecute.”

On Thursday, Israel Police recommended to the State Attorney’s Office that a criminal investigation be launched against Adv. David Hodek, who said last week that he wouldn’t hesitate to use live fire against the government if it actualizes its plan for judicial reforms.

Source: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)