Attorney General's Deputies Accuse Ben Gvir of Systematic Abuse of Authority

Deputies to the Attorney General, Sharon Afek and Gil Limon, sent another sharp letter today (Wednesday) to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over delays in police officer appointments. "The cases described therefore once again raise grave concern that these are not isolated or exceptional incidents," they wrote, "but rather systematic conduct in which the appointment authority entrusted to you is being misused with regard to sensitive units in the police that are responsible for law enforcement."

In the letter, the deputies referred to the delay in appointing Chief Superintendent Reut Rosenberg, whom Ben Gvir refuses to sign off on for promotion to the rank of Deputy Superintendent and for appointment as head of the civil damages section in the legal advisory system, and Deputy Superintendent Itzik Alfasi, whose appointment as spokesperson for the Investigations and Intelligence Division Ben Gvir also refuses to sign. "Even if, in the end, these appointments go ahead as a result of judicial intervention," the deputies wrote, "the very fact that police officers in sensitive positions are required to take legal action against the National Security Minister because of an action he is taking unlawfully creates a chilling effect and is liable to negatively affect the independence of the police."

As recalled, in March this year Deputy Superintendent Rinat Saban was promoted after the Jerusalem District Court ordered Minister Ben Gvir to approve her promotion from the rank of Superintendent. The minister refused to sign the appointment and appealed the court's decision, arguing that it was issued without authority. Saban's ranks were conferred at a modest ceremony by the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division, Commander Boaz Blat, in the absence of Police Commissioner Dani Levi.

About a month and a half ago, after the Jerusalem District Court held a hearing on the petition of Deputy Superintendent Ruti Hauslich, whom Ben Gvir also refused to promote, Channel 13 News first reported that the minister informed the court he would sign off on her promotion, and as a result the petition against him would be withdrawn. During the hearing in Hauslich's petition, attorney Keren Yust Rosenblum, Jerusalem District Attorney for Civil Affairs and a representative of the Attorney General's legal advisory system, said, "There is a very problematic message here, namely that the promotion of police officers depends on obedience to the minister." She added, "The result of this process should convey the message that professional conduct in accordance with commanders' instructions will not harm promotion," and argued, "The outcome of this process has a direct impact on the ability to preserve the independence of the Israel Police."