Deputy State Prosecutor Yehoshua Lamberger has ordered police to change protocols related to the use of tear gas to control rioters. Police response to riots has been the subject of investigations due to recent incidents of injury and death.
The order came in response to four incidents in which Palestinian Authority Arabs or foreign demonstrators were injured by tear gas cannisters during riots in the villages of Bilin and Naalin. In addition, a PA Arab demonstrator was recently killed when he was hit with a gas cannister during a riot.
Police involved in the incidents in which demonstrators were injured or killed are facing criminal investigation. Wider investigations are being conducted to inspect the overall police response to the riots.
The growing number of incidents proves the need to change police procedure, Prosecutor's Office staff said. Staff expressed hope that the new procedure would prevent similar incidents in the future.
As a first step, police have been ordered to avoid firing tear gas directly into a crowd, in order to avoid hitting rioters with the cannister, which can cause injury. Instead, when tear gas is necessary, the cannisters should be aimed away from the physical persons of the rioters.