Far-right rapper ‘The Shadow’ awarded symbolic officer rank by police
Yoav Eliasi, outspoken supporter of Ben Gvir and a police volunteer, is honored a day after outgoing commissioner warned of politicization
The police chief of Tel Aviv awarded the rank of “inspector” on Monday to rapper and far-right firebrand Yoav Eliasi, known by his stage name “the Shadow,” in recognition of his volunteer activity in a local civilian security squad.
The rank, awarded in the presence of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, is symbolic, and does not confer upon Eliasi the powers of an inspector.
“I can’t believe I’m writing this,” Eliasi posted on his Facebook page, calling the ceremony in which he was given the rank “one of the most moving days of my life.”
“For years, I’ve fought for my truth, and I had already accepted that I’d never receive recognition or thanks, and, in truth, I’d become immune to criticism,” he said.
Eliasi was one of 14 volunteers from local civilian security squads who received ranks on Monday.
According to Eliasi, his squad was also given greater authority, and is now in charge of the entire Tel Aviv district. This was separate from his new rank, he noted.
Israel saw a surge of civilian security squads following the Hamas terror group’s October 7 attack, when terrorists from the Gaza Strip invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, starting the ongoing war.
“On October 7, I was changed, and my priorities changed. Despite the chatter, I fought to establish a civilian security squad that was trained and equipped to protect even the children of those who hate me and are against me,” Eliasi said.
The liberal Hitorerut movement denounced the decision to award Eliasi the rank, saying in a statement: “The police is completely steeped in politics. There isn’t even an attempt to hide it.
“A violent bully like Eliasi, who had to be dealt with by the police, finds himself with the rank of an officer, in his role as an agent of the minister’s political police force. This is not a police department; it’s a militia. The citizens of Israel have no more law enforcement system,” the statement went on.
Eliasi has a long history of far-right activism. In the past, he used his social media platforms to call for the castration and organ harvesting of slain Palestinian assailants, and he has compared left-wing Israelis to the AIDS epidemic.
He was also a main organizer of a rowdy 2014 counter-protest reportedly designed to intimidate a group of leftists protesting the war in Gaza at the time.

In the 2022 general elections, Eliasi was an outspoken supporter of Ben Gvir and his far-right Otzma Yehudit party.
The party’s electoral success helped usher Ben Gvir, known for a history of extremist statements and activism, as well as a legal career defending extremist clients, toward the political mainstream.
One of the conditions Ben Gvir set for joining the current government was that the Knesset pass a law granting him broad authority over the police, which it did.
Since Ben Gvir entered office, he has been frequently accused of trying to politicize the Israel Police. He repeatedly clashed with police chief Kobi Shabtai, and tried unsuccessfully to fire him before the end of his term.
Eliasi was awarded his rank the day after Shabtai left office.
At his farewell ceremony on Sunday, Shabtai said that “the fight against the politicization of the police and its deviation from its professional path is in full swing,” though he did not refer to Ben Gvir by name.
President Isaac Herzog, at the same ceremony, said, “It is important to me to clarify and emphasize: The police force does not belong and will not belong to any one person. The police is not tied to any political side.”