Israeli National Security Minister Halts Police Appointments Ahead of Elections

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir informed Police Commissioner Danny Levi on Sunday that no new appointments would be made within the Israel Police until after the upcoming elections. The decision comes after reports on Friday indicated that Ben-Gvir and Levi were planning to hold discussions and proceed with a round of appointments as early as Monday.

Several sensitive key positions were reportedly on the agenda, including the head of the prosecution division, the head of the spokesperson's unit, the commander of the Elon region, and the commander of the National Police Academy. The Police Commissioner had even instructed that interviews for these roles be completed by Saturday night, aiming for final decisions at the start of the week. However, Minister Ben-Gvir announced the freeze on Sunday.

Ben-Gvir explained his decision by stating it is "inappropriate to conduct senior appointments about a month and a half before the elections," adding that such appointments at this time could be perceived by the public as a "hijack." Under the decision, all appointments will be frozen, with exceptions only for extremely urgent cases to be reviewed individually.

The planned appointment round already faced significant legal hurdles. According to a Supreme Court ruling (Bagatz Ben-Gvir), appointments impacting law enforcement, investigations, and freedom of expression require a recommendation from the General Staff and a seven-day advance notice to the Attorney General, allowing her to formulate her legal opinion. Given the tight schedule and these legal requirements, doubts had already arisen about the feasibility of completing the appointments as planned.