Modi'in Mayor on the Haredi Riots: The Police and the Army Need to Provide Answers

Modi'in Mayor Haim Bibas harshly criticized the conduct of the police and the army after hundreds of Haredi protesters clashed with officers in the city during an attempt to arrest a deserter. Bibas claimed that the security forces were not prepared for the incident, and that he would have to prepare alternative measures if they do not function properly. The incident sparked sharp condemnations from opposition leaders, alongside Haredi support for the protesters.

Modi'in Mayor Haim Bibas responded acerbically to last night's events in the city, where hundreds of Haredi protesters clashed with police officers trying to arrest a deserter. Bibas, who also serves as head of the Federation of Local Authorities, said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet that 'we woke up to shameful videos' and that the police and army need to provide answers for their lack of preparedness. He threatened that if the security forces do not function, the city's volunteer organizations will take care of it, similar to what happened after October 7. The incident began when Haredi activists tried to break into the deserter's apartment building, and following the clashes, he was released. An IDF spokesperson stated that this was routine enforcement activity against deserters, and that rioters acted in an organized manner to disrupt the arrest. The opposition harshly attacked: Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar!) said that 'a country that sends its best sons cannot tolerate a state within a state'; Naftali Bennett (Together) called it 'the legacy of Netanyahu-Der'i-Smotrich'; Yair Golan (The Democrats) accused Netanyahu of anarchism. Conversely, Chairman of Agudat Yisrael Yitzhak Goldknopf condemned the arrest of the deserter, calling it 'a hunt for a yeshiva student' and 'a badge of shame'. Moti Leitner (The Haredi Public) condemned the rioters and called for their imprisonment.