Ben Gvir agrees to sweeping limitations on his ministerial powers in bid to fend off legal challenges

Itamar Ben Gvir has agreed to sweeping limitations on his power as national security minister in a compromise struck with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara today, in a bid to fend off legal challenges to his tenure.

Per the principles laid out in the three-page compromise, the far-right leader is formally barred from dealing with anti-government protests, directly or indirectly.

The compromise was reached as a precondition set by Baharav-Miara before she would agree to defend him in court against legal petitions demanding his dismissal.

The two entered talks in early April to curb Ben Gvir’s interference in operational police matters.

Ben Gvir will be prevented from addressing probes into police conduct and determining law enforcement’s investigations policy under the agreement, outlined in a document shared by a Justice Ministry spokesperson today.

The compromise also limits Ben Gvir’s interference in police appointments, amid claims that the ultranationalist minister has politicized law enforcement by selectively promoting officers who push his agenda.

Under the compromise, Ben Gvir is forbidden from interviewing officers for promotion without the prior recommendation of the police chief and a panel of senior cops.

It also sets limits on Ben Gvir’s interactions with more junior policemen, preventing him from holding interviews regarding the promotion of officers with the superintendent rank. He will be permitted to hold interviews to promote higher-ranking police, namely those ranked chief superintendent and commander, but only in the presence of a senior officer.

The attorney general’s willingness to negotiate with Ben Gvir sparked some controversy within the Justice Ministry, reported Haaretz.

Some officials in the ministry reportedly told the outlet that Ben Gvir’s reappointment should be unconditionally opposed, given his blatant intervention in operational police matters in the past.