The Police Internal Investigations Department said Sunday that it has launched a probe after footage emerged from Saturday night's anti-government demonstration showing Jerusalem Chief Superintendent Niso Guetta attacking a protester.
Thousands protested in Jerusalem on Saturday night against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the summer-long outcry denouncing alleged corruption and the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic showed little signs of abating.
Daniel Lotem, who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Guetta, told the court in Jerusalem on Sunday that that the senior officer "really choked me."
3 View gallery
Jerusalem Chief Superintendent Niso Guetta attacking a protester during the demonstration Saturday
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
He added: "They kept me down on the ground, they claimed I choked the officer even though that never happened. I have no cause and no reason to attack a police officer.
"After that they shoved me into a police car. They beat me while I was handcuffed. They punched me, stood on my throat and screamed at me to calm down and not resist arrest, even though I did not resist at any stage."
According to Channel 12, Guetta was being questioned as a suspect.
A large crowd marched in the streets outside Netanyahu's official residence o Saturday night, waving signs and flags and calling for his resignation.
Some protesters clashed with police, who arrested at least seven people. One police officer was reported to have been injured.
Footage of Jerusalem Chief Superintendent Niso Guetta attacking protesters
(Video: Twitter)
On Sunday, a Jerusalem Magistrate's Court judge rejected a request by the police for a 15-day ban on some of the demonstrators arrested Saturday night on suspicion of assaulting police officers.
When asked to present evidence of the assaults by the demonstrators, police representative Sgt. Ruth Ezra said that the evidence exists, "but I do not have it at the moment."
The judge rejected the request and ordered the protesters to be released without any conditions.
The protest movement has gained traction in the summer months, with critics accusing Netanyahu of being distracted by a corruption case against him while COVID-19 cases have spiked. He denies wrongdoing in his ongoing trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
On Thursday, police cleared away a protest site outside Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem. One of the protesters forcibly removed from the site was the former director of the Shin Bet security service Carmi Gillon.
3 View gallery
Former Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon is hauled away by police outside Netanyahu's official Jerusalem residence
(Photo: Amit Shabi)
On Friday, Israel passed 100,000 reported coronavirus cases. It has recorded 825 COVID-19 deaths among its 9 million population. The country is in a recession and unemployment hovers above 20%.
Netanyahu has condemned the demonstrations against him, accusing protesters of trampling democracy and the Israeli media of encouraging them. He has argued that Israel's economy is better positioned than many developed countries hit by the global pandemic.
Saturday's protest came just days before an Aug. 25 deadline for the government to pass a state budget. A failure to do so will lead to general elections, the fourth in less than two years.
AP contributed to this report