Ben Gvir taps aide Kobi Yaakobi as interim prison service chief, amid coalition rift
Unclear whether nomination will go through amid criticism of move in the cabinet, which must okay it; Likud: PM working on the issue, understands challenge
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday nominated Israel Police Deputy Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, currently serving as his aide, as an interim replacement for Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Katy Perry after deciding earlier this week not to keep her on.
It is unclear whether the appointment, or Ben Gvir’s move to not extend Perry’s term, will be implemented, given opposition by Benny Gantz’s National Unity coalition party.
National Unity has said the decision to end Perry’s tenure violated the agreement with Likud underpinning the current emergency government, whereby senior state officials would not be replaced and would have their terms extended. That position has received backing from others, including Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri who, according to Channel 12, told associates that “agreements must be honored.”
Ben Gvir, meanwhile, has indicated he does not see himself as obligated to a deal he was not party to.
But the minister will not be able to approve Perry’s replacement without Likud’s support, as the choice of IPS chief requires cabinet approval.
A senior Likud official, speaking anonymously, said the ruling party understood the minister’s difficulty in working with Perry due to their quarreling.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is working for a solution on the matter and will bring a decision to the cabinet only after attempts to reach an understanding are exhausted,” the official said.
According to media reports, Gantz, Ben Gvir and Netanyahu met Wednesday in an attempt to find agreement over the matter.
Yaakobi currently serves as Ben Gvir’s security attaché. He has held a variety of senior positions in the police and was awarded an exemplary medal for leading members of the force to save lives during a forest fire in the Jerusalem area in 2021.
But the pick raised eyebrows, with media reports noting Yaakobi’s close personal relationship with Ben Gvir, his wife Ayala, his chief of staff Chanamel Dorfman and senior coalition members including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Coalition whip Ofir Katz.
An unnamed senior officer in the IPS told Channel 12 news: “Ben Gvir’s decision conveys to the IPS command that the only qualifications needed for the desired position is to be close to the minister in charge and to support his political doctrine.”
Ben Gvir said of his decision: “Deputy Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi is the right person to lead the Israel Prison Service during this period. Yaakobi is a decorated, respected, assertive, professional and sharp police officer, which is exactly what the prison service needs right now.”
Ben Gvir’s decision to not keep Perry in her role Wednesday also sparked criticism among opposition lawmakers, while Perry herself described the decision as “an unsurprising decision by an irresponsible minister,” and rejected his claims of her failures as “unfounded and baseless.”
Yaakobi oversaw police presence at protests outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in 2020. He received the rank of assistant commissioner in 2022, and then in less than a year was promoted to deputy commissioner by Ben Gvir.
National Unity said Wednesday that “the replacement of heads of security agencies during war harms the security of the country and national unity. We call on the prime minister and ministers to show national responsibility.”
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel also released a statement after Ben Gvir’s Wednesday announcement, detailing several points as to why the decision was invalid, and urging the cabinet to extend Perry’s term.
“The Civil Service Law, which usually gives the minister the authority to fill positions of senior roles, excludes appointments in the IPS, and the prison’s regulation states that the cabinet appoints them,” the group said.
It also said that the decision appointing Perry mandated that the government alone has the power to extend her term, without a recommendation from the minister, and noted that senior roles are meant to be automatically extended during the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Ben Gvir berated Perry for several incidents during her tenure, first and foremost for what he said were the negotiations conducted by the IPS with Palestinian security prisoners over the terms of their incarceration, in order to ward off a hunger strike.
Perry’s tenure had been due to end in January and she announced back in July that she would not seek an extension to her time in office. But last week she informed Ben Gvir that she now wished to remain as head of the service, citing the ongoing war and security instability as the reason for reversing her decision.
In addition to the decision on Perry, Ben Gvir also announced that he had met with Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to discuss extending his tenure, since the three-year term of the police chief also ends in January, and said that another meeting will be held on the issue.
Shabtai said in a joint statement with Ben Gvir in June that he would not seek an additional year in the job, but the war has changed such calculations.
Jeremy Sharon and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
