The Arab Higher Monitoring Committee condemns the recommendations of the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the Israel Police to allow live fire to be fired at demonstrators who block roads during an emergency.
In a statement published in Arabic on Thursday, the monitoring committee called Ben-Gvir's recommendations "a clear license to kill" and "the imposition of a military regime" on the Arab communities.
The current police guidelines allow the use of live fire only in life-threatening situations. The recommendations to allow live fire are based on the assumption that blocking the passage of IDF convoys during an emergency is tantamount to "assistance to the enemy in time of war".
Member of Knesset Aida Touma-Suleiman (Joint List) also condemned the recommendations. "It turns out that the police are asking for a license in advance to kill Arab protesters, 23 years after the events of October 2000. This is a license to shoot to kill!"
"Prime Ministers and ministers are calling on citizens to carry weapons while giving the green light to kill. Police Minister Ben-Gvir threatens the residents of Sheikh Jarrah and Arab security guards with firearms and the case against him is closed," she added.
"Arabs are killed by policemen all the time, but this time they want immunity in advance. So the next time Arabs are killed here in demonstrations - remember that someone asked for a license in advance to kill them," she claimed.