Police Commissioner Slams Defense Minister Over Internal Force Discussions

Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai has sharply criticized Defense Minister Israel Katz, stating that Katz has no place interfering in internal police discussions. Shabtai's remarks were made during a closed meeting with senior police officers on Tuesday, as revealed by i24NEWS.

"The Defense Minister can give them instructions and tell them stories. Under my instructions, there are no discussions. The head of the Operations Division, the head of the Planning Division, the commander of the Judea and Samaria region... no one sits with them in discussions. Just as I don't ask the IDF to help me, so the army will be strong. Let them continue to play among themselves," Shabtai reportedly said.

The tension arises from a directive by Defense Minister Katz to transfer responsibility for law enforcement and order among the Israeli population in Judea and Samaria to the Israel Police. This authority was previously held primarily by the IDF.

According to earlier reports, this directive stems from a proposal by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major General Yoram Levy, for a reallocation of responsibilities between the army and the police. Commissioner Shabtai's comments indicate he views the Defense Minister's attempts to involve himself in police staff meetings, including with figures like the heads of the Operations and Planning divisions and the Judea and Samaria region commander, as overstepping his authority. He stressed the need for a clear separation between the army's and the police's jurisdictions.