"Beat the people blocking the roads with chains," suggested none other than affable grandfatherly journalist, Yaron London. "We have zero tolerance for road blockers," explained the Attorney General to the enthusiastic applause of the audience of State legal officials. The massive media and judicial encouragement of police violence against traffic blockers were the progenitors of the police violence that we witnessed this week against the students in Tel Aviv. 

True, Yaron London and Attorney General Mazuz had actually directed their arrows at the "Orange" road blockers – the people who were not fighting against high tuitions, but rather against what they justifiably saw as national suicide. But the political views of London, Mazuz, the Orange protesters or the students are irrelevant. The police should not be beating non-violent protesters. The police are supposed to maintain law and order. If somebody breaks the law, the police have full authority to arrest him and bring him to court. But they should not be allowed to physically punish citizens before they have been brought to trial. Policemen who do so should be jailed. That is the meaning of separation of powers in any state that respects human rights. Of course, if the demonstrators are violent or damaging to their surroundings, the rules change and the police must employ reasonable force to maintain law and order.  But that is not what happened with the Orange protesters or with the students. 

London and Mazuz each represent a different arm of the elite. But they both feared that if the Orange protesters would succeed, the Disengagement would be halted. That is why they encouraged the rapid descent of the police force into reckless violence. We cannot expect the police force to set its own limits. That is what the media and the court system are supposed to do. But when those very people send the riot police in their black uniforms to break open the heads of young girls in Amona, they have a hard time stuffing the genie back into the bottle in Tel Aviv.  

"The mouse does not steal," said our Sages. "Rather, it is the hole that allowed the mouse to enter that is at fault." If we want to stop police violence, the place to begin is at the hole that encourages the mouse with the truncheon to enter. Before we run to find the violent police, we must ostracize those who create the cultural and judicial environment that empowers them.