Black Lives Matter protests and some far-left and anti-Israel groups are calling for an end to police training exchanges between US and Israeli police, prompting participants in such programs to speak out.

Since George Floyd's death in Minneapolis in May, media outlets and pro-Palestine organizations have sought to connect controversial restraint, crowd control and other tactics utilized by US police to Israel. They allege that Israeli security forces taught US police how to put down protests and use chokeholds.

The idea that long-standing concerns about systemic racism and controversial US police practices could be linked to Israeli training programs is questionable. But the allegations gained some traction on the left and that has produced a strong counter-reaction from police.

Simon Perry, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a 30-year veteran of Israeli law enforcement who has been involved in US-Israel police exchanges, said he and other experts focused on counterterrorism. He blames the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which supports a variety of boycotts of Israel, for its policies spreading misinformation in Israel's security relationship with the United States.