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<font size="1"><a href="https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/minnesota-cops-trained-israeli-forces-restraint-techniques?fbclid=IwAR06dqVoIhN5N6ZFzjPuMcsI0CvHC2US7rrjXI-lqRP3wTIT0lmu8u6W4-o">https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/minnesota-cops-trained-israeli-forces-restraint-techniques?fbclid=IwAR06dqVoIhN5N6ZFzjPuMcsI0CvHC2US7rrjXI-lqRP3wTIT0lmu8u6W4-o</a>
</font><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Minnesota cops 'trained by Israeli forces in restraint techniques'</h1>June 1, 2020<a></a>
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<p>OFFICERS from the US police force responsible for the killing of
George Floyd received training in restraint techniques and anti-terror
tactics from Israeli law-enforcement officers.</p>
<p>Mr Floyd’s death in custody last Monday, the latest in a succession
of police killings of African Americans, has sparked continuing protests
and rioting in US cities.</p>
<p>At least 100 Minnesota police officers attended a 2012 conference
hosted by the Israeli consulate in Chicago, the second time such an
event had been held.</p>
<p>There they learned the violent techniques used by Israeli forces as
they terrorise the occupied Palestinian territories under the guise of
security operations.</p>
<p>The so-called counterterrorism training conference in Minneapolis was jointly hosted by the FBI.</p>
<p>Israeli deputy consul Shahar Arieli claimed that the half-day session
brought “top-notch professionals from the Israeli police” to share
knowledge with their US counterparts.</p>
<p>It is unclear whether any of the officers involved in the incident in which Mr Floyd was killed attended the conference.</p>
<p>But in a chilling testimony, a Palestinian rights activist said that
when she saw the image of Derek Chauvin kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck, she
was reminded of the Israeli forces’ policing of the occupied
territories.</p>
<p>Neta Golan, the co-founder of International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
said: “When I saw the picture of killer cop Derek Chauvin murdering
George Floyd by leaning in on his neck with his knee as he cried for
help and other cops watched, I remembered noticing when many Israeli
soldiers began using this technique of leaning in on our chest and necks
when we were protesting in the West Bank sometime in 2006.</p>
<p>“They started twisting and breaking fingers in a particular way
around the same time. It was clear they had undergone training for this.
They continue to use these tactics — two of my friends have had their
necks broken but luckily survived — and it is clear that they [Israel]
share these methods when they train police forces abroad in ‘crowd
control’ in the US and other countries including Sudan and Brazil.”</p>
<p>The training of US police officials by Israeli forces is widespread.</p>
<p>Even Amnesty was compelled to report that hundreds of police from
Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Connecticut, New
York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington state and
Washington DC had been flown to Israeli for training.</p>
<p>Thousands more have been trained by Israeli forces who have come to
the US to host similar events to the one held in Minneapolis. According
to the somewhat selective rights organisation, many of these trips are
taxpayer-funded, while others are privately funded.</p>
<p>Since 2002 the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish
Committee’s Project Interchange and the Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs have paid for police chiefs, assistant chiefs and
captains to train in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
(OPT), it said.</p>
<p>The Minneapolis Police Department was contacted for comment.</p>
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