Opposition leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the police violence against MK Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood of Jerusalem during the weekly Likud faction meeting Monday, and called on the police to protect the Jews living in the neighborhood.
"I strongly condemn the act of violence against MK Itamar Ben-Gvir," Netanyahu said. "This is not 'Sheikh Jarrah' - this is Jerusalem, this is our capital. "We are united in our demand from the police to maintain order and security for the residents of the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood, just as we demand that peace and security be maintained everywhere in the State of Israel."
Turning to the Pegasus spyware scandal, Netanyahu said: "The espionage case against Israeli citizens requires a state commission of inquiry - immediately. Let it be clear: there is no legal order that allows espionage against citizens. The misleading claim that such an espionage order was given is intended to mislead the public. This is clearly illegal."
"Even in the police department's notice about n investigation, which is meant to dissolve the serious espionage affair, the police admit that they have carried out espionage operations on civilians, in an manner unprecedented in the history of democracies. There is no democracy that can come to terms with a reality in which the police spy on its citizens. Therefore, all of us, all the heads of the national camp factions, demand the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the serious espionage case against the citizens of Israel," he said.
He added that "you cannot sweep things under the rug. You cannot hide behind the laundering of words. And you cannot settle for an investigation where the police investigate themselves and the investigators investigate the investigators. It is like letting a cat investigate the cream. Only a state commission of inquiry can give the public clear answers to the main questions: against whom was the espionage carried out, when was the espionage carried out, to what extent, who gave the order, did they mislead the judges who gave the orders, without telling them that it was an illegal espionage tool against citizens."
"Every day that passes without a state commission of inquiry increases the chances of the investigation being disrupted, coordinating evidence and concealing evidence. Therefore, we demand a state commission of inquiry - now," he concluded.