Ben-Gvir tells police chief he will block senior officer appointments until after election

Itamar Ben-Gvir has told Israel's police commissioner that no senior police appointments will be approved until after the election, with only exceptional cases potentially allowed. In a letter to Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Danny Levi, the national security minister argued that proceeding with appointments about a month and a half before voting could damage public trust.

Ben-Gvir noted that the election is expected on October 27 and that the Knesset has entered recess. He said government activity, including public-service appointments, faces restrictions during an election period. He also wrote that he had suggested advancing a round of appointments about four months earlier, but Levi had not provided a list of candidates at the time.

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There is an obligation to act with restraint and moderation, due to concerns of harming public trust.

The minister framed his position as a legal and public-trust issue rather than a criticism of police officers. “There is an obligation to act with restraint and moderation, due to concerns of harming public trust,” he wrote. He added that the decision was not “any kind of statement against the wonderful male and female officers of the Israel Police.”

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This is not, God forbid, any kind of statement against the wonderful male and female officers of the Israel Police.

Ben-Gvir cited an earlier attorney-general's letter that imposed a sweeping ban on senior police appointments before the current government took office. He argued that the same standard should apply now and formally told Levi that appointments would resume only after the election.

His office later said exceptional appointments could be considered separately if the commissioner presented reasons. The dispute comes as Ben-Gvir and Levi clash over recommendations for police posts. The article also reports a separate disagreement involving a candidate backed by the attorney-general for deputy legal adviser to the police, but the supplied text ends before detailing that dispute.

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I hereby inform you that as the minister responsible for the police, there will be no further appointments of senior officers in the Israel Police until after the elections.