Smotrich
SmotrichHezki Baruch

MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) criticized this afternoon (Thursday) the behavior of some of those barricaded in the Amona synagogue.

"Harming police is a red line," wrote Smotrich from his personal Twitter account, following the events surrounding the synagogue expulsion.

He said, "We kept far away from this [behavior] throughout the painful evacuation. Too bad that a small minority at the end does this and harms this just and necessary struggle."

Large police forces broke into the Amona synagogue and began expelling dozens of youths barricaded there.

The evacuation process took much time and was complicated. Breaking into doors and windows was assisted by firefighters called to the scene, while police cleared away barricades and roadblocks set up at the entrance. A fire extinguisher was sprayed at police from the synagogue's entrance. Five policemen sustained minor burning in their eyes and an iron rod hit one of them.

The police statement said, "In the course of attempts to access the facility, stones, fire extinguishers, bottles of paint, boards, and other means prepared in advance were thrown in order to harm the police and prevent the evacuation process."

Police added, "This behavior indicates that the lawbreakers do not respect the place in which they are and certainly not the local leadership. We emphasize that the policy of restraint will continue as long as violent acts aimed at harming the security forces operating in the area are not committed. The police will be unrelenting against all acts of violence and bring all lawbreakers to justice."