Israeli Police Disclose Extensive Employment of Relatives Among Senior Officers
An unprecedented disclosure of conflict of interest arrangements within the Israeli Police reveals that numerous senior officers have multiple family members employed within the force. Documents obtained by Calcalist through a Freedom of Information request filed by the nonprofit organization Hatzlacha show that Ronen Ovadia, Deputy Commander of the Jerusalem District Police, has 22 relatives working in the police and Border Police as of December 2024. These include five of his children, two sons-in-law, his sister, two nephews, a brother-in-law, and eight cousins. The presence of so many family members under his command created a complex "tangle" in the Jerusalem area, as Israeli civil service rules prohibit direct reporting lines between relatives. In cases where such reporting occurs, transfers to other units are mandated. For example, Ovadia’s two sons-in-law served as officers within the Jerusalem district, prompting the police to commit to relocating them outside the district and barring Ovadia from handling their disciplinary matters until then.
The issue extends beyond the police to the Border Police, where Golan Sharoni, Commander of the Operations Division, reported 10 relatives employed within the organization, including his wife and several nephews and cousins in operational and administrative roles. Another senior Border Police officer, Nisso Guetta, Commander of the Judea and Samaria unit, declared that both his son and nephew serve as Border Police conscripts, alongside his son-in-law in the elite Lahav 433 unit. Overall, nearly 80 relatives of 21 senior officers ranked Superintendent and above were reported across the police and Border Police, with 11 officers having at least three family members employed.
The conflict of interest arrangements also highlight sensitive interactions with private and governmental bodies. Retired Superintendent Dado Zamir, former head of the Police Prosecutions Division, disclosed he was personally represented by a law firm and thus barred from handling any police cases involving that firm. Similarly, retired Jerusalem District Commander Amir Arzani was prohibited from dealing with firearm issues involving the Ministry of Public Security due to his sister’s role heading the ministry’s firearms division.
The Israeli Police stated that when authorized by relevant officials, employing family members in the same unit is permitted if deemed essential, with full transparency and signed conflict of interest agreements. Additional disclosures are expected soon following the ongoing Freedom of Information requests.
