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“There is no policing in Israel! This situation cannot continue,” MK Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit) posted on X\/Twitter in response to a video of the incident.<\/p>\n
Masked thieves attempted to rob a jewelry store in a mall in Ofakim<\/a> on Tuesday evening, smashing showcases and displays, but fled after a store employee pepper-sprayed them.<\/p>\n Security camera footage showed the masked individuals entering the store, before the employee acted promptly to deter them. Israel Police<\/a> have opened an investigation into the incident, which is the third such case in Ofakim in the past two months.<\/p>\n “It was during business hours, a few moments before there were customers in the store. I\u2019ve always feared a robbery, so I employ three workers. That\u2019s what saved us, the workers activated the robbery button, which has a smoke screen,” Shimon, the store owner, told Walla<\/em>.<\/p>\n “We were in the store, starting to close, I was sitting on the couch, the younger employee yelled at me ‘Behind you, be careful,’ I heard bangs, I thought there were gunshots in the complex, we ran to the back room and pressed the emergency button, then the smoke started coming out, it was scary, we felt our lives were in danger,” one employee who was in the store said.<\/p>\n After the video footage was published, MK Almog Cohen<\/a> (Otzma Yehudit) denounced the incident, claiming that it highlights a lack of effective policing.<\/p>\n “Ofakim at 8 p.m., when the shopping complex near home is full of children. Zero governance, zero fear. There is no police in Israel! This situation cannot continue,” Cohen wrote on X\/Twitter.<\/p>\n Notably, Cohen’s party leader, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is responsible for policing as part of his role as National Security Minister.<\/p>\n “This is a disgraceful and disconnected statement. Israel Police officers, especially those from the southern District, work day and night to protect the citizens of the country – even when Knesset members choose to erase their work for a small political gain,” a senior source from Israel Police’s Southern District commented in response to Cohen’s statement.<\/p>\n “The only shame here is in trying to harm those who risk their lives daily for the public,” the source added.<\/p>\n‘We felt our lives were in danger,’ employee recounts<\/h3>\n
Bennett insinuates policing policy will change under his leadership<\/h3>\n