Deputy Chief of Staff Nisso Guetta, who beat a demonstrator and photographed during demonstrations in Balfour two years ago, was convicted today (Thursday) in the Magistrate's Court in Rishon Lezion.
Judge Ron reasoned: "The difficult atmosphere created in the place does not in itself constitute a reason for the defendant's behavior as the defense sought to do."
According to the indictment, during 2020 against the background of protests that took place in Jerusalem, frequent demonstrations, including on Balfour Street, in front of the house of the then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
By virtue of his position, the defendant took an active part in the handling and security of these demonstrations.
During one of the demonstrations, a procession of demonstrators took place in Jerusalem, which had not previously been approved by the Israel Police.
Despite this, the police allowed the procession to take place from the direction of the String Bridge at the entrance to the city towards Balfour Street.
Initially, the procession numbered a few hundred participants, and later more joined and the procession numbered about a thousand people.
The security of the procession was attended by many police forces, which also included senior officers, including the defendant.
During the procession, some of the demonstrators came to Bezalel Street, with the intention of continuing to march towards Paris Square.
The police force which sought to prevent the procession from advancing ordered the protesters to retrace their steps and blocked their progress.
Guetta tried at demonstrations in Balfour, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
At the time, the defendant was standing along with other police forces on the road.
At one point, Avichai Green, who was taking part in the procession, approached the defendant and complained to him about the behavior of the police towards the protesters at the scene.
In response, he bluntly blamed Avichai with both hands, in his face, twice.
During the second shot, another demonstrator, removed the defendant's face mask and began fleeing the scene.
The defendant put the face mask back in front of him and started chasing after the same protester, with the aim of arresting him.
With the help of other police officers, the defendant managed to carry out the arrest of the same demonstrator, while the demonstrators kept shouting at them, pouring water in their direction and interfering with the arrest.
Following this arrest, he was led by a demonstrator to detention with the police holding his hands and feet.
The defendant was present as well as a press photographer and documentary filmmaker, Yalon Gurevitz who documented the demonstration.
During the escort of the detained demonstrator and without any interaction between Yalon and the defendant, the defendant pushed Yalon to the back of his upper body and hit him hard on the side of his face, while holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.
As a result, Yalon's glasses fell off and he suffered from pain in the right side of his face and in his right ear.
Judge Ron, who rejected Guetta's version, did not find that Avichai's conduct was a threat to the defendant.
She certainly was no exception beyond the behavior of many other protesters who were at the scene.
"There was not in fact his approach to the defendant and appeal to the defendant to create the threat to which the defendant refers, and it is not possible to learn from such conduct that as stated there was no exception to the place and circumstances and no more violent or threatening behavior. Due to self-defense.
Tried Guetta, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Moreover, if Avichai's conduct was indeed considered as threatening and serious as presented by the defendant, why was Avichai not arrested that evening as quite a few others were arrested and his details were not even requested during the incident.
Avichai was summoned for questioning only after his details were revealed in the media, "the judge wrote in her decision, adding that Lilon Gurevitz also did not accept the defendant's version that he was forced to use force to remove the threat of Yalon's conduct or his interference with the arrest, according to the defendant. Explained his action against Yalon in two phases of the repulsion, when the second phase was carried out, in his opinion, because Yalon's resistance increased after the first repulsion.
The video does not even show violence on Yalon's part, and it is clear that Yalon pushed his other hand back to protect his camera from being hit.
I got Yalon's version and I state that it is reliable.
His testimony was orderly, determined and coherent.
I did not accept the defendant's version in light of the above and even in light of the fact that the defendant stated in court that he saw Yalon's actions as more serious than Avichai's actions, Shilon was not arrested at the demonstration and was not detained. In the police. "
In conclusion, Judge Ron wrote that there is no disagreement, even as stated above, that the demonstration that evening was very large, covering a large area, and there was a lot of confrontation and friction between the demonstrators and the Israeli police.
Indeed, cases of verbal and physical violence perpetrated against police officers by certain individuals have also been discovered.
However: "None of these and the difficult atmosphere created at the place constitute, in itself, a reason for the defendant's behavior as the defense sought to do.
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