Dr. Aaron Lerner is co-founder of IMRA, Independent Media Review and Analysis, an Israel-based news organization which provides an extensive digest of media, polls and significant interviews and events relating to the Israeli-Arab conflict. imra@netvision.net.il.
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	Emotions erupt at inquiry into 13 Arab deaths

Will Commission bar Ben-Ami from security portfolios?
By Aaron Lerner   February 18, 2001

Testifying before first open session of the state commission of inquiry set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of 13 Israeli Arab citizens in the Galilee in October in clashes with police, policeman Avraham Bar explained that the Border Police squad handling a mob of stone throwing Arabs had no non-lethal means to control the crowd. They ultimately fired rubber-coated bullets at the approaching mob and one man in the crowd died from the bullet.

Israel Television's police reporter noted this evening that since the October events, the Israel Police have invested 50 million Shekels in crowd control equipment. The police remain, however, seriously understaffed.

Officials were aware that the police were under-equipped PRIOR to the October events.

Ha'aretz correspondent, Ze'ev Schiff reported on October 6, 2000 that "a simulation training exercise conducted by the Israel Police in Shfaram on September 6 … simulated the actions they would have to take to deal with widespread rioting, the closing of major traffic arteries, the setting of fires and other challenges that precisely mirrored the events of the past week.

The drill focused on events transpiring within the pre-1967 borders of Israel, including in Jerusalem. During the course of the exercise, it became apparent that the police would have difficulties coping with all these missions simultaneously, due to a lack of sufficient manpower.

The exercise showed that the police lacked sufficient means for dispersing mass demonstrations, without the use of live ammunition."

While part-time Minister of Internal Security Shlomo Ben Ami, who also served as full time foreign minister at the time, was certainly aware of the conclusions of the exercise as well as earlier warnings about the lack of manpower or equipment, he failed to fight and get emergency funding for the police to cover this serious gap.

In the course of the disturbances, with the police undermanned and lacking proper equipment, Ben Ami suggested the police face the rioting mobs bare handed. He was overruled by the head of the police who said that such an order was illegal.

The state commission that investigated the Sabra and Shatilla Massacre ruled that then defense minister Ariel Sharon could no longer hold that post because he failed to anticipate that Lebanese Christian forces would attack Lebanese Moslems. Will the new state commission rule that Ben Ami cannot hold a security related portfolio due to his profound failure to take reasonable measures as Minister of Internal Security?

Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi of the Arab Movement for Renewal said Monday that he hoped the inquiry would ultimately expose those whom he said were responsible for the death of the 13 Israeli Arabs. "There are three levels -those who gave the orders, those who carried them out and those who have ministerial responsibility," he said.

The commission is headed by Supreme Court Justice Theodore Or. The other members of the commission are Judge Jarakh Sahal, the president of the Nazareth district court and Shimon Shamir, a former ambassador to Egypt and Jordan. There is concern that the leftist orientation of the members of the commission may cause them to focus proceedings and conclusions on the police on the scene and their commanders while avoiding criticism of Ben Ami, who has an extreme left political orientation.

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