The far-right has captured Israel’s police

ISRAEL HAS long stood out as a raucous democracy in a region with precious little of it. But on a recent Saturday in Tel Aviv police officers demanded to see the placards of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for early elections. The police justified this breach of freedom of expression by claiming it was to ensure there was no “incitement”. In fact, it was a sign of how the police have been politicised in the 18 months they have been under the control of Itamar Ben-Gvir.