Senior police official warns: "What will happen after the elections should worry us no less"

A senior police official warns in an interview with i24NEWS that dealing with the election results and the reactions to them may be no less challenging than election day itself. The police are preparing to deploy nearly 22,000 officers amid warnings of attacks and concerns over public order disturbances.

A senior police official warns that dealing with the election results and the reactions to them may be no less challenging than election day itself. In an interview with i24NEWS, the official said the police are preparing to deploy nearly 22,000 officers on election day, about 5,000 more than in the previous elections, amid warnings of attacks and concerns over public order disturbances. According to him, the preparations have been ongoing for three months and include responses to events that may develop with the publication of exit polls and results. The official estimated that election day would pass relatively quietly but emphasized that the day after is no less sensitive. The police are preparing for the possibility that the election results will bring people to the streets and for securing party events. The official also referred to a discussion at the Prime Minister's office with the participation of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and said it was emphasized that the police must act in an apolitical manner. He criticized the Commissioner's decision not to attend the discussion, stating that a meeting with a minister who is running politically close to elections is not correct on an ethical and public level.