Elite-force policemen - sitting behind a screen, to protect their identities - testified today before the Orr Commission of Inquiry, in the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem. The commission is presided over by Supreme Court Justice Theodore Orr. The policemen recounted the events at the Um el-Fahm and Nazareth riots by Israeli-Arabs last October; 13 Arabs were killed throughout the north during the week of rioting.
One policeman told that when he and others were in danger of their lives from the rioters, they were ordered to shoot at the marauders below the knees. At one point, one of the policemen was wounded and knocked unconscious by a slingshot rock, and Northern Police District Commissioner Alik Ron decided that live bullets should be used against the rioters. Arutz-7\'s Effie Meir reports that Ron will testify that the shooting was coordinated with the upper governmental echelons.
The Victims of Arab Terror Organization released a statement in support of the Border Guard policemen. It sent a small delegation to the committee session today, protesting the fact that - as VAT founder Shifra Hoffman put it - \"the inquiry and the surrounding publicity are making it difficult for those whose job it is to protect us, and are blurring the memory of the intense violence by Arab citizens against the State and against other Israelis.\" She called on the public to show solidarity with the policemen. The next committee session will be held in mid-March.
One policeman told that when he and others were in danger of their lives from the rioters, they were ordered to shoot at the marauders below the knees. At one point, one of the policemen was wounded and knocked unconscious by a slingshot rock, and Northern Police District Commissioner Alik Ron decided that live bullets should be used against the rioters. Arutz-7\'s Effie Meir reports that Ron will testify that the shooting was coordinated with the upper governmental echelons.
The Victims of Arab Terror Organization released a statement in support of the Border Guard policemen. It sent a small delegation to the committee session today, protesting the fact that - as VAT founder Shifra Hoffman put it - \"the inquiry and the surrounding publicity are making it difficult for those whose job it is to protect us, and are blurring the memory of the intense violence by Arab citizens against the State and against other Israelis.\" She called on the public to show solidarity with the policemen. The next committee session will be held in mid-March.