The chief of police in Israel, Kobi Shabtai, has threatened to send anti-war protestors to the besieged Palestinian enclave that Israel has been bombarding every day for almost two weeks, stating that there will be “zero tolerance” for pro-Gaza marches in Israel.
Mr Shabtai made his remarks in a video that was uploaded to the Israeli Police’s social media channel, TikTok.
He said “Whoever wants to become an Israeli citizen, welcome,” Shabtai said.
“Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome. I will put him on the buses heading there now.”
He added that Israel is “in a state of war … we’re not in a situation where we will allow all sorts of people to come and test us”.
According to Israel Police Spokesman Eli Levy, 63 persons in Israel have been arrested on suspicion of supporting or inciting “terror” since the commencement of the Gaza conflict on October 7.
After Gaza-based Hamas rebels launched an attack into Southern Israel on October 7, Israel placed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off access to food, water, electricity, and fuel for the strip’s 2.3 million population.
Since the raid, Israel has blasted Gaza from the air, wreaking havoc and razing entire neighborhoods.
Palestinian Authorities have said that over 3,400 people have been killed and more than 12,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Parliament’s ethics committee voted to suspend a left-wing parliament member, Ofer Cassif, for making anti-Israel sentiments after the war began.
Cassif had given an interview in which he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of carrying out a plot in Gaza that he equated to the Nazis’ “Final Solution” against Jews in Europe.
On another occasion, he told foreign media that “Israel wanted this violence”, in reference to the Hamas attack.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Cassif has been suspended for 45 days.
In a social media post published on Wednesday, Cassif called the Knesset’s decision “another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression”.
