Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Clash Over Appointments and Budget
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai are locked in a fierce dispute over senior appointments and frozen police budgets ahead of elections.
The rift between National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai has escalated significantly. In a recent radio interview, Ben Gvir accused the commissioner of taking sides ahead of the upcoming elections, claiming that pressure is being exerted by external legal authorities.
The Controversy Over Police Appointments
Ben Gvir asserted that despite a year and a half of cooperation, the commissioner has shifted his stance due to political pressures and ongoing disputes regarding senior police appointments. "The police will not be used as a political tool, and appointments will not be dictated by outside entities," the minister stated.
Conversely, sources close to the commissioner rejected these allegations, maintaining that all promotion and appointment decisions are based purely on professional criteria and operational needs. They emphasized that the leadership aims to fill crucial vacancies with qualified personnel without any partisan influence.
Budgetary Disputes and Operational Readiness
Another major point of contention involves hundreds of millions of shekels in disputed police funding. The police leadership warns that delayed budget allocations are hindering operational readiness, affecting vehicle fleets, and stalling crucial station renovations.
"This is not about luxury; it is about the core operational capability of the police force to maintain public safety," sources close to the commissioner noted.
Meanwhile, Minister Ben Gvir argued that the overall police budget has expanded substantially under his tenure and accused police leadership of attempting to channel funds into non-urgent administrative projects rather than frontline security needs.
