We spent Shabbos in Jerusalem. While on a Shabbos afternoon walk, we were coming out of a building, and I heard from a window at street level some soft calls "Shabbes! Shabbes!" from some children. I looked over and it was a couple of little kids - maybe a 5 year old and a 3 year old - playing in the window box, looking and pointing up at the sky and "screaming" "shabbes!".

I looked up and noticed a helicopter overhead. The helicopter above was enough to jar these kids to realize it is not shabbesdik and needs to be "protested". I had not even noticed the chopper until they pointed it out.

I noticed after a few minutes that it was not just passing over, but circling the area overhead. Being that we were not too far from where the shabbos protests were meant to take place, I assumed the helicopter was to help the police keep order and keep track of the protests and protesters.

It was ironic to read in the news, on ladaat.net, that MK Moses from UTJ sent a letter of complaint to the Minister of Internal Security complaining about how the helicopter was unnecessary and ruined people's shabbos rest along with being a blatant and unnecessary desecration of the shabbos.

I say it is ironic because the reason for the beefed up police force, including a helicopter, is because of the haredi protests. If all they had would have been the beautiful (by all accounts I read) kabbalas shabbos on Bar Ilan last week, there would be no need for the helicopter. But after that there were violent protests that led to many being injured and plenty arrested.

Considering that history, the police had to expect more of the same and had to come prepared. You cannot blame them for having the helicopter. Blame the Eidah for holding the protests, at least the violent ones, and supported by others, that caused such chillul shabbos.