Netanyahu to Meet Police Chief and Minister in Person Despite Election Ruling

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a face-to-face meeting with Police Commissioner Dani Levi and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, his lawyer clarified in a statement. The clarification came after the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, rejected a petition against the meeting. Netanyahu's attorney, Ilan Bombach, stated that the mention of a phone call in a previous response was an error made due to the urgency of responding to the petition.

The meeting, scheduled for the near future, will include the head of police intelligence and the head of operations, in addition to the Police Commissioner. The petition against the meeting was filed by the "Choharim BeYisrael" (Voters in Israel) organization, arguing that the gathering, scheduled two days before the Knesset elections, could violate prohibitions against disrupting elections and using public resources for campaigning.

Netanyahu's side contended that the meeting was a security discussion to assess the situation in light of terror threats. Justice Sohlberg dismissed the petition, stating there was insufficient evidence that the meeting itself would disrupt the elections. However, he also noted that the political echelon is not authorized to instruct the police on election management or integrity.

Following Sohlberg's decision, Netanyahu's lawyer submitted the clarification confirming the in-person meeting and attributing the earlier mention of a phone call to haste in responding to the court's order.