Knesset committee to probe police conduct in Ahuvia Sandak death

A joint panel of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Internal Security Committee will probe police conduct in the case of Ahuvia Sandak, the Knesset plenum decided on Wednesday. The committee will also deal in general with the IDF and police's handling of so-called hilltop youth.

The proposal, which was initiated by MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (Religious Zionist Party), passed 40 to two, with only Ra'am (United Arab List) MKs Mansour Abbas and Imman Khatib Yassein voting against it.

Sandak was killed last December when the vehicle he was in flipped over while fleeing from police and while the police either accidentally collided with his car or purposely tried to force his car to stop. Police have said the passengers in the car, a mix of minors and young adults, were throwing rocks at moving Palestinian vehicles and even hit and harmed one Palestinian.

Also on Wednesday, clashes broke out between protestors calling for an independent investigation into Sandak's death and of police at the entrance to the Justice Ministry building in Jerusalem. The State Attorney's Police Investigation Department has investigated the incident, but protestors are demanding an independent investigation.

Some of the protestors locked themselves to a fence at the entrance to the ministry building.

On multiple occasions earlier this month, protestors blocked the entrance to Jerusalem and were dispersed with water cannons and stink bombs. MK Ben Gvir and extreme right-wing activist Bentzi Gopstein participated in the demonstrations, where dozens have been arrested.