Protester stabs police officer; ‘We will not tolerate violence,’ Netanyahu says

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Wednesday evening after a police officer was stabbed by a protester. The suspect fled the scene.

The demonstration was in response to what was seen as racism after police decided not to press charges of homicide against a woman who ran over a four-year-old Ethiopian boy in May. Rafael Adana, who was hit while walking with his grandfather in Netanya, died four days later.

According to examiners, the accident was “unavoidable” and the driver was not speeding. “The examiners determined in accordance with the testimony of the grandfather that the child was on the road less than half a second before the suspect hit him with her car,” the prosecution stated.

The stabbing victim is in hospital moderate condition.

“Demonstrations are a sacred right in a democratic country, but we will neither accept nor tolerate any kind of violence,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

“Stabbing a policeman is crossing a red line; I send my best wishes for a quick recovery,” he added.

“I call on all citizens of Israel to respect the law and the men and women of the security services.”