Tel Aviv

After the knives are put away

By Ben Hartman / October 29, 2015 December 1, 2020

The uniforms and pistols make them look like police, but they aren’t cops. They’re members of the Tel Aviv municipal public order patrol – set up by the city this past year to deal with public disturbances, noise ordinance violations, and petty quality of life issues. After a terror attack in the city earlier this month and as the daily attacks known as the “Knife Intifada” continue across the country, the patrol members are now receiving firearms, to be force multipliers …

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Knife bait at the park – watching my daughter’s blind spot

By Ben Hartman / October 19, 2015 December 1, 2020

Ask yourself: Could you fend off a crazed attacker armed with only a stick of sidewalk chalk? Could you subdue a man with a knife, hold him until the police arrive, and give a man-on-the-street interview that will go viral? Most crucially, could you spend an hour and a half at the park with a group of toddlers, without checking your cell phone even once? All these questions went through my mind on Tuesday morning, when it was my turn for …

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The spy who came in from the cold – to lead the police

By Ben Hartman / October 1, 2015 December 1, 2020

Roni Alsheich, deputy head of the Shin Bet (Israel security agency) was introduced – somewhat – to the Israeli public last Friday as all but a shoo-in for the new chief of police, finally, mercifully bringing the hunt for a new chief to an end. Alsheich (whose name can now be printed, saving us the silly requirement of calling him simply “R”) brings impressive credentials – a former company and deputy brigade commander in the Paratroops – he has spent over …

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They came to watch the bridge explode

By Ben Hartman / August 23, 2015 December 1, 2020

Judging by the pre-game hype in the national press, something akin to the moon landing or the planting of the US flag on Iwo Jima took place in Tel Aviv on Friday morning, as hundreds gathered in the center of town to see the iconic Ma’ariv Bridge blown up and brought to Earth. The situation on the ground at judgment hour didn’t live up to the hype, but it was a carnival of sorts nonetheless. Ori Benaim was sober …

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Blackface as racial solidarity?

By Ben Hartman / August 21, 2015 December 1, 2020

Every protest movement needs a great song. Earlier this month the famed comedy trio Shlishiyat Ma Kashur released a protest video, a clip full of anger ripped from the front pages. A serious departure for the trio, “Ayalon Darom” (the title taken from the Ayalon freeway, which was blocked during rush hour during a protest by Ethiopian Israelis in May) depicts the three actors as Ethiopian Israelis fed up about racism in Israeli society, sick of being seen as nothing …

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Not ‘Israel’s Baltimore’, but real cause for concern

By Ben Hartman / May 5, 2015 December 1, 2020

Suddenly, a whole lot of people in Israel are talking about Baltimore. The city has become a buzzword in Israel for riots and protests against police brutality and racism. Coinciding with the publication of a video of an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier being beaten by police, the images of riot cops clashing with protesters and row houses in flames became a symbol to many of what could happen in Israel if the situation spun out of control, if years of frustration in the …

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Casting nets and catching little fish

By Ben Hartman / March 16, 2015 December 1, 2020

Forget about the Iranian threat, the rising cost of living or the new attack tunnels being built by Hamas on the Gaza border. The Israel Police are tackling head-on a real menace to our peace and security – high-school kids smoking weed. At least that was the impression I got late last month, when police announced yet another undercover drug operation that netted dozens of arrests and who knows how many criminal cases. The story was set in Tel Aviv, where …

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Public Security – Always the bridesmaid of ministries

By Ben Hartman / March 16, 2015 December 1, 2020

As you probably noticed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Right survived Election Day intact, emerging victorious despite an attack by Arab hordes (i.e. “voters”) descending on polling stations by the busload. By Monday evening President Reuven Rivlin had received endorsements from a total of 67 MKs, recommending that Netanyahu be tasked with forming the next coalition. As anyone familiar with Israeli politics knows, now is when the real fun begins, when the ruling party starts doling out the ministerial portfolios …

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One step forward for police, two steps back

By Ben Hartman / March 4, 2015 December 1, 2020

(This post originally appeared as a column in the Jerusalem Post weekend magazine on February 26th, 2015) Congratulations are in order for Gila Gaziel, who became the highest-ranking woman in the Israel Police on Sunday, when she was made the latest female assistant-chief – the second-highest rank in the force. A non-threatening pat on the back is also in order for the Israel Police, for making the promotion – as long, of course, as it avoids being tarnished by yet another …

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The murder of a mob complainant – a reason for outrage

By Ben Hartman / February 1, 2015 December 1, 2020

Shai Bachar never had a chance. The bomb that tore through his car on Friday left him sprawled on the asphalt near the Hod Hasharon railway station, with massive internal injuries and burns across his body. Luckily, his 17-year-old daughter sitting in the passenger seat was only lightly hurt by the shock wave, but her father would be ruled dead shortly after sundown. One witness told Channel 2 that the car bomb which killed the produce vendor sounded like a rocket …

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