Former Israeli Police Chief Tried to Suppress Report on Labor Party Candidate

Former head of the Israeli Police Investigations Division, Yoav Segalovitch, attempted to prevent a political report about Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich during the party's primary elections. The incident occurred when Segalovitch, still in uniform, called political journalist Mati Tuchfeld, then at Israel Hayom, to discourage him from publishing a story about a police complaint filed against Yachimovich alleging corruption in her campaign.

Tuchfeld confirmed that he had verified the complaint with the police and was preparing to publish the report. However, Segalovitch unexpectedly contacted him directly, urging him not to highlight the story or make it a headline, downplaying the significance of the complaint. Tuchfeld expressed surprise at the call, questioning why the head of investigations would intervene in media coverage of an ongoing police matter.

Despite the pressure, Tuchfeld informed his editor, Amos Regev, and the article was published as planned without alteration. Political analyst Yaakov Bardugo cited this episode to criticize Segalovitch's tenure, accusing him of allowing political biases to influence his decisions as head of investigations and deputy minister of public security.

Bardugo called on right-wing figures investigated during Segalovitch's leadership to demand a review of their cases, suggesting that Segalovitch's political preferences may have affected his professional conduct. The revelations raise concerns about the impartiality of police investigations during a politically sensitive period in Israel.