Israel's National Security Minister Halts Police Appointments, Freezes Funds Amid Dispute

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has canceled scheduled appointment talks with Police Commissioner Danny Levi, citing the upcoming election period as a reason to postpone personnel decisions. The official explanation suggests waiting for the next government to make such appointments. However, behind the scenes, the breakdown reportedly stems from disagreements over specific nominations, including the head of the prosecution department and a deputy legal advisor.

A senior official in the minister's office claimed the dispute intensified over Commissioner Levi's recommendation to appoint Tamar Liberty as deputy legal advisor, a move Ben-Gvir reportedly views as an appointment by the Attorney General, not the minister. In response to the canceled talks, Ben-Gvir escalated the conflict by ordering the delay of approximately 300 million shekels in budgets allocated to the police.

Ben-Gvir reminded the commissioner of his previous demands to the Attorney General to halt police appointments before taking office, referencing a past incident where he accused the previous Public Security Minister and Police Commissioner of a "hijacked" appointment process. He stated his position remains unchanged.

A senior police source commented that they expect Ben-Gvir to "support the organization in the appointment process, as happens in other organizations under the Ministry of National Security." This dispute follows a previous confrontation between Ben-Gvir and Levi a year ago over the promotion of senior officers, which Ben-Gvir had initially refused to approve.