Amona: The Government Cover-Up Continues

Prime Minister Olmert's Defense Minister, whose military career was that of a political apointee elevated to block the political ambitions of other generals, announced that soldiers and police officers who participated in the police riot at Amona will be forbidden to testify before a Knesset committee investigating the incident in which hundreds were brutally beaten, including three Knesset members.

Much like Russia's Putin, Olmert is confident of taking control of the Knesset with a party that stands for nothing except personal power, that he has not only gone to war against the settlers but against the Knesset itself. MK's meanwhile have attempted to bargain him down to closed door hearings, which is not remotely consistent with a democracy.

The questioning of the Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra resulted in the expected display of arrogance and feigned ignorance. Ezra alternately claimed ignorance and helplessness. He couldn't blockade the roads, he had no idea what was going on and could do nothing about it. When asked why proper police procedure wasn't followed, Ezra could only ridicule the questions. In response to the question of why procedure wasn't followed when the police led a mounted charge on civilian protesters on the ground-

Questioner: "Guideline #9 of the instructions issued by the police itself says that when horses or water cannons are to be used, there must be an advance warning. This was not done at Amona. Why not? Have you investigated this?"

Ezra: "I told Chairman Shteinitz beforehand that our internal investigation was not yet finished, and I asked him to wait... Under such circumstances as Amona, what, we have to announce that a horse is coming?"

This is the arrogance of political apointees not operating in a democracy who know they are immune even at the Knesset level. This is not first world politics, this is third world politics. A good sample of this can be seen on top in this short video clip below as a wounded protester confronts a fat smiling police officer with a faked cast. The arrogance of the illegitimate Olmert regime illegally in office and its brutality towards its opponents can be nakedly seen here.

(side note from AnotherRuth, a former registered nurse)

"BTW: that cast looks extremely odd. I've never seen an arm cast applied like that, in two separate sections. The arm and hand should be included in one cast, not separate casts for the hand and arm. Casts for fractures are ALWAYS applied above and below the fracture. This cop's cast leaves the wrist exposed and unbraced. Odd."