Alik Ron resumed his testimony at the Orr Commission this morning - on the Arab riots of last October, what led up to them, and his role at the time as Northern District Police Commissioner. Yesterday he discussed the riots\' general background, and said that he had warned for years that Arab violence could explode, but was ignored. In contrast, today he faced several hours of cross-examination at which he was asked about details of the events that ended in the deaths of violent Arab protestors in Um el-Fahm. Thirteen Israeli-Arabs were killed in several days of violent rioting in the north last October. Deputy Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said today that if the committee recommends disciplinary action against Ron, \"I will resign my post.\"
Ron told the committee that he brought snipers in only after a woman motorist on the main Hadera-Afula artery was injured as a result of the Arab violence and the lives of other motorists appeared to be in danger. The Arabs were using dangerous slingshots, Ron said, and \"if I\'d had 2,000 policemen I would have raided them, but because I didn\'t, I was forced to use snipers.\" The committee members proffered implied criticism of him for not having informed his superiors that he had taken this action, as well as for the lack of a \"command room\" during the riots.
Arutz-7\'s Ariel Kahane reported that the committee members consistently referred to the Arabs involved in the riots as \"citizens,\" while Ron called them \"rioters.\" Justice Theodore Orr asked why an effort was not made to investigate the circumstances of the Arab deaths in real-time. Ron responded that the families of the dead did not cooperate in this matter and even snatched the bodies away. He said he didn\'t know who gave the sniper order in Nazareth. Ron reminded the committee that the riots of that period and some of the police reactions cannot be detached from what was the general atmosphere at the time - \"there was a feeling that the north was burning.\"
Justice Minister Meir Shetreet was present at the proceedings today, and said that Alik Ron is a \"courageous and honest man who is not afraid to say what he has to say… I am here to give Ron and the other police officers the feeling that they are not alone… It\'s very easy to sit here in an air conditioned room and discuss matters [that occurred in totally different circumstances]…\"
Ron told the committee that he brought snipers in only after a woman motorist on the main Hadera-Afula artery was injured as a result of the Arab violence and the lives of other motorists appeared to be in danger. The Arabs were using dangerous slingshots, Ron said, and \"if I\'d had 2,000 policemen I would have raided them, but because I didn\'t, I was forced to use snipers.\" The committee members proffered implied criticism of him for not having informed his superiors that he had taken this action, as well as for the lack of a \"command room\" during the riots.
Arutz-7\'s Ariel Kahane reported that the committee members consistently referred to the Arabs involved in the riots as \"citizens,\" while Ron called them \"rioters.\" Justice Theodore Orr asked why an effort was not made to investigate the circumstances of the Arab deaths in real-time. Ron responded that the families of the dead did not cooperate in this matter and even snatched the bodies away. He said he didn\'t know who gave the sniper order in Nazareth. Ron reminded the committee that the riots of that period and some of the police reactions cannot be detached from what was the general atmosphere at the time - \"there was a feeling that the north was burning.\"
Justice Minister Meir Shetreet was present at the proceedings today, and said that Alik Ron is a \"courageous and honest man who is not afraid to say what he has to say… I am here to give Ron and the other police officers the feeling that they are not alone… It\'s very easy to sit here in an air conditioned room and discuss matters [that occurred in totally different circumstances]…\"