The use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials must be seen as exceptional. It is inherent in the high degree of responsibility required by law enforcement officials to protect the right to life that non-violent means must be applied before resorting to the use of force and firearms can be justified. The use of firearms is regarded as an extreme measure. This implies that every effort must be made to exclude the use of firearms. If the right to self-defense is invoked, two concepts, necessity and proportionality are to be considered.
Necessity means that no choice of means and no moment for deliberation is left.
The use of fire arms by the Israeli police is regulated by police Directive 06.02.14. The harm that may be caused shall be weighed against the damage intended to be prevented. The Directive also explicitly states that when dispersing riots, police units are only allowed to fire in the air. It is clear that the Israeli security forces did not adhere to their own open fire regulations when dealing with the recent disturbances involving Palestinian civilians. Moreover, whenever the use of force or firearms are applied to disperse demonstrations, the risk of endangering uninvolved persons must be minimized.