State Prosecutor Amit Isman warned on Thursday that the recently approved law placing the police Internal Investigations Department, known as Mahash, under the Justice Ministry could deepen political interference in law enforcement. Speaking at the 16th Haifa Law Conference at the University of Haifa, he said the law creates a “real concern” about pressure on investigators and threatens the balance of checks and balances that the justice system relies on.
Isman said there is a fear the law is meant to create mechanisms that could be used to pressure investigators in carrying out their work. “Deterrent investigators will not investigate corruption offenses,” he said, adding that the State Attorney’s Office would do everything to fight public corruption. He stressed that the concern is not criticism of law enforcement, but a “chilling effect” that could influence police and prosecution officials when deciding sensitive cases. “Law enforcement deterrence is not criticism,” he said. “The State Attorney’s Office will continue to do its job.”
He added that the justice system faces a double challenge, corruption probes involving powerful figures, technological change, and social polarization. “The rule of law is not tested when there is agreement, but in confrontation and dispute,” he said. Criticism of law enforcement is legitimate and even desirable, he said, but not delegitimization. “The fight against public corruption is not political. It is intended to ensure a simple principle: no one is above the law.”
Isman also said enforcement must remain equal even when it is uncomfortable or faces direct or indirect pressure. “The State Attorney’s Office does not operate by algorithm, it operates by evidence,” he said. “Our job is not to please.” In February, he had already said the Mahash bill raised concerns about political intervention and warned that separating Mahash from the State Attorney’s Office would significantly harm its independence, professionalism and ability to resist political pressure. The law passed its second and third readings in the Knesset earlier this month, against the Justice Ministry’s legal advisers, and requires the justice minister to reestablish Mahash within his ministry. Legal circles fear it will accelerate police politicization and discourage corruption investigations, especially when senior officials are involved.
