Rivlin: Better police ties with disabled people
Against the backdrop of the tragic killing of Iyad al-Halak, an innocent young Palestinian man with autism and carrying a cell phone that Border Police mistook for an explosive, President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday hosted an inter-ministerial meeting to brainstorm ways in which law enforcement agencies should deal with people with mental and physical disabilities.
Most physical disabilities are obvious. Mental ones are not, which is why Halak became the unfortunate victim of Border Police, whose top priority was to prevent a terrorist attack by one of the gates to Jerusalem’s Old City. Halak’s caregiver called out in Hebrew to alert the Border Police that he was harmless. They may not have heard her in the heat of the moment, or they may have simply chosen to disbelieve and ignore her.
Acutely conscious not only of the tragedy of the Halak family, but also of the acceleration of tensions between Israel’s minority communities and law enforcement and security personnel, Rivlin initiated an inter-ministerial session to try to find a solution to the problem.
The meeting was attended by Labor and Social Services Minister Itzik Shmuli; Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn; the Justice and Health ministries directors-general; Avremi Torem, commissioner for equal rights for persons with disabilities; and other relevant individuals who shared personal stories regarding law enforcement and disabilities.
Ordinarily, a meeting with so relatively few participants would take place in the small reception room in the President’s Residence,
but due to the emphasis placed on social distancing, the event was held in the large main reception hall.
Rivlin stressed the importance of eliminating fear and suspicion of law enforcement and security forces by creating an environment in which they could meet with all sectors of the civilian population, so that the two sides could get to know each other.
He underscored that the obligation to safeguard human life applies not only in relation to the citizens of Israel, but also of others “within our midst.” The onus rests not only with both the civilian population but with police and soldiers.
Rivlin added that the government must allocate a budget for the purpose of giving people with disabilities a sense of safety and trust in law enforcement authorities.