Because of Ben Gvir?: A drastic drop in the number of Muslim recruits to the police
While in recent years the number of recruits to the police has been increasing, in the Arab sector the trend is the opposite. Data published by the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police show that in the last four years, recruitment of Arabs, and especially Muslims, to the police has been almost non-existent.
The Arab sector in Israel constitutes about 21% of the population, of which more than 18% are Muslims. However, according to recruitment data published on Monday by the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police, the number of recruits from the Arab sector, with an emphasis on Muslims, is very low, to the point of being almost non-existent. This figure reflects an abnormal underrepresentation of a sector that constitutes almost a quarter of the population of the State of Israel.
Data shows that in the four years that Itamar Ben Gvir has served as Minister of National Security, and while violence in the Arab sector is breaking new records, there has been a drastic drop in the number of recruits from the Arab sector (excluding Druze) to the police.
Sources in the Ministry of National Security explain this by a directive issued by the minister, according to which all candidates must meet the same minimum threshold conditions of a DAPAR score (usually 4 out of 9) and knowledge of the Hebrew language. In other words, the affirmative action that was practiced before Ben Gvir entered the ministry, which allowed the acceptance of recruits whose DAPAR was lower than the threshold and who did not master Hebrew, was canceled.
An increase in police recruitment alongside a decrease in the number of Arabs
According to police data, in 2025 the number of police officers stood at 36,856. That year, 3,294 new officers were recruited, only 96 of whom were Muslims, 2 Bedouins, and 12 Arab Christians. That is, only 0.26% of recruits in 2025 were Muslims, Bedouins, or Arab Christians — a figure 70 times lower than their actual rate in the population. The absolute majority of new recruits chose to enlist in the Blue Police rather than the Border Police (Magav).
In the Ministry of National Security, officials present an increase in overall recruitment over the last four years as a result of improved conditions and massive campaigns. The increase is expressed in a higher number of Jews enlisting, alongside a decrease in the number of Arabs (excluding Druze) choosing to join the police.
After a decrease in 2019, and a period of growth in 2020–2022, the trend has reversed in the last four years.
Police and Ministry of National Security data shows:
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2022: 2,109 new officers (135 Muslims, 6 Bedouins, 48 Arab Christians).
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2023: 2,778 new officers (165 Muslims, 7 Bedouins, 59 Arab Christians).
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2024: 3,814 new officers (143 Muslims, 2 Bedouins, 15 Arab Christians).
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2025: 3,294 new officers (96 Muslims, 2 Bedouins, 12 Arab Christians).
In the first half of 2026, 2,276 were recruited, but only 64 were Muslims, 2 Bedouins, and 7 Arab Christians. These figures do not include Druze recruitment, which remains stable.
Ben Gvir: "You will continue to talk and we will continue to work"
The change in trend occurs in parallel with an increase in violence in the sector, as the government reallocates budgets and calls against the integration of Arabs in key state positions increase.
From the office of Minister Ben Gvir, it was stated in response to the data:
"Even when the number of recruited police officers increased significantly and thousands of new officers were added, the media has criticism. You will continue to talk and we will continue to work."
