Israel Police chief warns of potential political assassination

As the political crisis among Israeli political parties escalates, and the tension with Palestinians rises, Israel Police Commission Yaakov ‘Kobi’ Shabtai has warned of a potential political assassination, i24 News reported yesterday.

“All security services in Israel are readying to undermine a political assassination attempt,” he told Channel 12 news.

He referred to the process to pass the judicial overhaul bill as “the passage of the dictator’s bill,” warning that protests will intensify. He called on Israelis to put an end to all rhetoric inciting violence.

“The situation we find ourselves in keeps me awake at night. We are on a steep slope of inflammatory arguments, of people writing things without considering the impact they may have on the other party,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity to tell everyone to breathe, calm down, chat and not get violent in word or deed.”

Shabtai called for citizens with gun licenses to carry their weapons, conceding that “it’s not possible to have police on every corner all the time.”

He also called for the licensing process to remain thorough so “weapons will not end up in the wrong hands.”

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