Attorney General's Office Says Ben Gvir Cannot Block Publication of Police Data
Israel’s attorney general’s office ruled that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir cannot delay or prevent the publication of police data, and that his directive requiring every Freedom of Information request to be sent to him for approval is legally invalid. The response will be submitted to the High Court of Justice in petitions filed by the Movement for Freedom of Information and the Success organization.
The decision, which followed a report by Kan News, was revealed Tuesday morning on Kan’s "HaBoker HaZeh" program on Reshet Bet. Kan had recently exposed Ben Gvir’s new instruction to the police to route any sensitive request for information under the Freedom of Information Law to him, a move that has delayed publication of crime statistics.
The attorney general’s ruling means Ben Gvir will no longer be able to hold up police figures that are on his desk, including gun thefts, shooting in Bedouin communities, the number of officers and patrol cars in the field, and other data. After the report, petitions were filed to the High Court arguing that the directive is unlawful, that the police are independent, and that the minister cannot approve or obstruct the release of the data.
Kan also reported an internal police table showing the categories Ben Gvir seeks to delay and, in practice, block from publication, including murder and injury figures involving firearms, the number of guns stolen and seized in 2025, shooting in Bedouin areas, emergency calls from those communities to 100, police officers and vehicles, and exclusion orders and detentions at the Temple Mount. Following the petitions, the attorney general’s office held a meeting with deputy attorneys general, as well as representatives from the prosecution, the police, and the Ministry of National Security.
The meeting’s conclusion said the practice of sending Freedom of Information replies from the police to the minister for approval is not legally valid and cannot result in violating the law. It added that sensitive responses may be shown to the minister shortly before being sent, as long as that does not delay delivery to the requester. Ben Gvir’s office responded that only in a "banana republic" would anyone try to stop the responsible minister from reviewing material and monitoring the work of ministry bodies.
