Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak began his testimony before the Ohr Commission this afternoon. MK Shlomo Ben-Ami, who served as Minister of Public Security under Barak, completed his testimony, which began yesterday, this morning. His basic thrust: \"The police didn\'t inform me.\" Ben-Ami had criticism of former Northern Police Commissioner Alik Ron, saying that he even considered firing him. Ron was the subject of great controversy because of his warnings of the dangers he foresaw from the Israeli-Arab sector. Barak\'s aides said this afternoon that, contrary to Ben-Ami, he will not blame his underlings.
The commission is hearing testimonies pertaining to police and government actions during the violent Israeli-Arab riots and attacks against police in October 2000. Thirteen Arabs were killed during the riots, which included mobs of hundreds of Arabs throughout the Galilee pulling motorists out of their cars and beating them, bombarding police with rocks and slingshots, and closing off critical highways - including the Wadi Ara highway, the main artery between central Israel and the Tiberias-Jezre\'el Valley area. The commission\'s mandate does not include investigating the cause of the riots, who stood behind them, and the extent of the rioting.
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) said he was astonished to hear Ben-Ami testify that he had ordered the police to retreat from a section of the critical Nachal I\'ron (Wadi Ara) highway when it was taken over by the Arab rioters last year. Shteinitz added that Ben-Ami\'s testimony proves both Ben-Ami\'s lack of aptitude for the job of Public Security Minister and the damage that the Ohr Commission causes Israel.
The commission is hearing testimonies pertaining to police and government actions during the violent Israeli-Arab riots and attacks against police in October 2000. Thirteen Arabs were killed during the riots, which included mobs of hundreds of Arabs throughout the Galilee pulling motorists out of their cars and beating them, bombarding police with rocks and slingshots, and closing off critical highways - including the Wadi Ara highway, the main artery between central Israel and the Tiberias-Jezre\'el Valley area. The commission\'s mandate does not include investigating the cause of the riots, who stood behind them, and the extent of the rioting.
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) said he was astonished to hear Ben-Ami testify that he had ordered the police to retreat from a section of the critical Nachal I\'ron (Wadi Ara) highway when it was taken over by the Arab rioters last year. Shteinitz added that Ben-Ami\'s testimony proves both Ben-Ami\'s lack of aptitude for the job of Public Security Minister and the damage that the Ohr Commission causes Israel.