Police Clarified the Rules for the Use of Mounted Forces at Demonstrations

Why the High Court of Justice Was Petitioned

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition in August 2025 demanding that the use of mounted forces to disperse demonstrations be prohibited or that restrictions be established to protect demonstrators. The petition described incidents in which horses knocked people down and trampled them, and mounted officers struck them with batons and lashed them with reins, as well as riding the horses on sidewalks, among other places.

What the Court Required

After the hearing on the petition, the High Court of Justice ordered the police to clarify the guidelines: to ensure that people have an escape route, to restrict mounted forces from entering sidewalks, and to limit their deployment alongside stun grenades. The court also required that the use of force be restricted to situations involving a real and immediate danger, that the conditions for deploying mounted forces be defined more precisely, and that the rules be made accessible to the public. In addition, the police must collect information about injured people and draw lessons from such incidents.

What Changed in the Procedure

The updated procedure explicitly requires that demonstrators and others present be allowed to leave the area. Mounted police officers may move along a sidewalk when there is an operational need and with the approval of the commander of the mounted police unit. A mechanism was established to collect information about injuries caused by mounted officers or horses, and an internal review must be conducted in cases of serious injury or suspected violations of the rules.

What Questions Remain

According to the Association, the police retained broad command discretion and did not clarify the precise circumstances in which mounted forces may be deployed, beyond a general reference to “Level B.” The simultaneous deployment of mounted officers, stun grenades, and other measures is permitted with command approval and while maintaining a distance of six meters; the use of batons and reins was also not prohibited. The Association notes that the documentation of injured people depends mainly on whether the mounted officer personally noticed the injury, and that the restrictions remain scattered among different documents.

The Proceedings Have Not Yet Concluded

The Association asked the High Court of Justice to issue an order nisi and schedule a hearing on the petition as soon as possible. The materials presented do not state whether the court granted this request or whether a final judgment was issued in the case. The case number and the exact date on which the Association filed its latest position are also not specified in the source.

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