Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Friday morning ordered National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to freeze the removal of the commander of the Tel Aviv district police chief Amichai Eshed.
Minister Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai on Friday shuffled the positions of several senior police officers, and in the process removed Eshed from his post. Ben Gvir was reportedly unhappy with the way Eshed dealt with the protesters, allowing them to block the city’s main artery for hours on end in rallies that began ten weeks ago. Eshed was reassigned to the post of head of the police training division.
But less than two hours after Eshed’s demotion, AG Baharav-Miara conducted a preliminary investigation of the process, and according to sources in her office, the inquiry raised serious concerns regarding its legality and correctness, including the considerations underlying the decision, the timing of the announcement, and its background.
As a result, on Friday morning, the AG instructed the police and the minister to freeze any decision or action in Eshed’s case, until the orderly completion of the required legal investigation. And to avoid any doubt, she declared that until said investigation is completed, Superintendent Eshed will remain in his position.
Minister Ben Gvir has been under a relentless attack by retired police brass, who were supporting a tacit resistance to his policy and directives among serving senior officers, the most prominent among them being Eshed. Ben Gvir’s response on Wednesday betrayed just how up-to-here he has had it:
“All the failed officers who united together, after destroying the police, destroying national security, and engaged in corruption that was reflected in the conclusions of the committees in their case – are now demanding that Itamar Ben Gvir be fired. No one elected them or asked for their help. I was elected by the people of Israel and I serve only them. All those officers would do well if they went home and stopped interfering.”
Incidentally, there’s an ongoing dispute between the Netanyahu government and the Supreme Court as to whether the AG is authorized to interfere directly in executive decisions, and when she does, is government obligated to obey.
The police released a statement saying they will obey her orders.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai stated:
“This is a round of appointments that the Israel Police has been preparing for for a long time. As I already clarified yesterday, the timing of the decision was determined by the Minister of National Security only.
“I would emphasize, the Israel Police is always subject to the law, and the instructions of the Legal Adviser to the Government bind us.
“Following her directive, I will freeze the appointment until the end of the investigation, and the district commander will continue to fulfill his duties accordingly.”
There are unconfirmed reports that members of the Likud and Otzma Yehudit parties have demanded that Baharav-Miara be fired.
