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Israeli security chief warns of Jan. 6-type violence ahead of new government

05 June 2021
Dan Ackermann

The director of Israel’s domestic security service, the Shin Bet, warned on Saturday of growing incitement that could lead to politically motivated violence.

Why it matters: Nadav Argaman's rare public statement raised concerns about the threat of a Jan. 6-style attack in Israel to prevent a peaceful transition of power if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ousted after 12 years in office.

Driving the news: Netanyahu on Friday published a Facebook post that cited a story from the Bible, which compared his political rivals on the right to the spies Moses sent to tour the land of Canaan and that lied to the people when the returned.

  • According to the Bible, the spies received a punishment from God and died of a plague.
  • Netanyahu’s right wing rivals who are part of the “change government” – mainly Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett and his party members — have been the subject of social media attacks in recent days by Netanyahu’s supporters.
  • Netanyahu’s backers demonstrated in front of their houses and sent them text messages with death threats.
  • The Shin Bet decided to give Bennett a security detail even though he hasn't assumed office yet. And the police boosted security for several of members of his party.

What they are saying: A day after Netanyahu’s Facebook post, the Shin Bet director released a statement warning against “serious radicalization in incitement and discourse on social media.”

  • Argaman said the incitement could be interpreted by groups or individuals as an approval to use violence. He called on Israeli politicians to publicly ask for calm and denounce violence.
  • Shortly after the Shin Bet director’s statement, Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, attacked him on Twitter. “The is a disgrace. They are trying to shut the mouths of the right and label every political criticism as incitement,” he wrote.

What’s next: The Knesset on Monday will convene for a special session to announce that opposition leader Yair Lapid managed to form a government. The vote of confidence in the new government is expected to take place on June 14.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.