Israeli Police Leadership Remains Loyal to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir After Elections

Josh Breiner, the police correspondent for Haaretz, asserted that senior Israeli police officials owe their promotions to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and will continue to be loyal to him even after the upcoming elections. Speaking on Haaretz's podcast "This Week" alongside former police commissioner Moshe Karadi, Breiner criticized Ben-Gvir's influence over the Israel Police and expressed doubt that any police official could currently oppose the minister's directives.

Breiner highlighted that if Ben-Gvir were to act unlawfully in front of police officers, none would dare to say no, including the police commissioner. He described a climate of fear within the police, mentioning that officers tremble at the prospect of defying Ben-Gvir or his close associate Hanamel Dorfman. Breiner also claimed that some senior police figures are strongly aligned with Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party and feel indebted to him for their careers and pensions.

Regarding the police's future, Breiner predicted that restoring the institution's integrity would take five to ten years. He expressed skepticism about police loyalty to the law and the state, suggesting many officers sympathize with Ben-Gvir's ideology and would obey him rather than the elected government. When asked how this loyalty would persist if Ben-Gvir no longer served as minister, Breiner said that police ambition for rank has clouded their judgment, and Ben-Gvir intends to remain influential, continuing to control the police hierarchy even from outside the ministry. He concluded that police leaders will keep answering Ben-Gvir's calls and will not dare to ignore or reject him after the elections.