Erdan fires cop who covered up harassment charge

Officer failed to report complaint against ex-Jerusalem police chief

of al-Aksa gives a boost to the extremists and legitimizes attacks and ‘price tag’ activity against the holy places of the Palestinian people,” the statement added.

The Joint List claimed that the mosque and all of the surrounding area is a holy Muslim site and that it must be protected and respected. In addition, it said, “any attempt to change the status quo will escalate and cause another real war.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan fired Dep.-Ch. Nissim Edri on Tuesday, nearly two years after he was reprimanded for failing to report a sexual harassment complaint against the former head of the Jerusalem police and for lying about it during a Justice Ministry questioning.

Edri was convicted in December 2013 of failing to report a sexual harassment complaint against former Jerusalem police chief Nisso Shaham that was submitted by a female officer who served under Shaham. Later, when a Justice Ministry investigation was launched against Shaham on a series of sex crime allegations, including sexual assault, Edri lied repeatedly to investigators over the course of four hours of questioning, saying that he was not notified of any complaint against Shaham.

At the time, Edri was sentenced to a NIS 2,000 fine and given a stern reprimand, but no further actions were taken and he was not demoted.

“I lament the dismissal of Dep.-Ch. Edri, who served many years in the police and made great accomplishments fighting crime and terror, but his actions, which the court described, are not consistent with the morals that must be instilled in the Israel Police,” Erdan said.

In October 2013, Shaham was indicted for a series of sex crimes against eight female police officers, including women who were in economic distress. All of them were subordinates and investigators found that some of them were given perks following the abuse.

In the past couple of years, several of the most senior officers of the Israel Police have resigned or been dismissed after allegations – and in the case of Shaham convictions – of sexual misconduct.

Erdan, who has only headed the ministry for a few months, said one of the main priorities of his time in office and for the next police chief will be to improve discipline and the internal culture of the organization and work on redeeming the image of the police following the scandals.