The commissioner estimates: this is the number of protestors who participated in the demonstrations

"We are in a challenging time"

In his speech, the Police Commissioner stated that "We are facing a challenging period, as all of you, like me, see and hear the reality that the police are dealing with these days. Shortage of manpower, lack of resources, and extreme levels of violence, coupled with the constant criticism from various sources, add to the burden on Israel's law enforcement. The powers of the police have been played with in an unusual manner in the last 15 years, in intelligence, surveillance, investigations, and in the field of intelligence, all while criminals become more sophisticated."

The Police Commissioner also addressed what is happening in the Arab sector, stating, "We cannot ignore the number of fatalities and casualties resulting from violence in the Arab society. It is criminal terrorism claiming victims almost every day. The Israel Police is operating at full capacity to combat this terrorism." He then provided statistics, saying, "We have prevented 58 murders, 44 of them in the Arab sector. We seized significant quantities of illegal firearms, 1,956 firearms in 2023, representing a 31% increase compared to the same period last year. Additionally, we confiscated 3,379 unlicensed firearms, marking a 73% increase."

Shabtai also addressed the violent riots that occurred in Tel Aviv on Saturday, saying, "We encountered an extreme threshold of violence. Surveillance forces were placed in real-life danger and had to use live fire. From my perspective, red lines were crossed here. We will not allow harm to police officers, and we will pursue legal action against all the disrupting offenders."