Ben Gvir assails top police brass for refusing to hand Sde Teiman leak probe to retired judge Kula

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir slams the police’s senior command after they refused to hand over investigation materials regarding the Sde Teiman video leak to retired judge Asher Kula, Hebrew outlets report.

In an effort to bypass Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Justice Minister Yariv Levin picked Kula to oversee the investigation into former military advocate general Yifar Tomer-Yerushalmi, after she confessed to leaking footage purporting to show troops abusing a Gazan detainee.

Baharav-Miara has argued that Levin is misusing his authority as justice minister, and that he is not permitted to appoint someone to supervise the probe in her place. The High Court is set to issue a ruling in the matter on Tuesday.

In the meantime, coalition lawmakers and government ministers have been pressuring the police to hand over investigation materials to Kula, the state ombudsman for judges, despite the fact that the court has not yet issued a ruling.

Ben Gvir, who oversees law enforcement, met with Police Commissioner Danny Levy and Boaz Blatt, the head of the police’s investigations and intelligence division, and reportedly demanded that they obey the government’s wishes.

“I’m not interfering in the investigation, but the decision of who will supervise and oversee the investigation lies solely with the government. We are not a banana republic,” he reportedly says.

According to Channel 12 news, Blatt told the far-right minister that he had not wanted to attend today’s meeting and even requested not to join.

Ben Gvir responded to Blatt with a veiled threat, saying that he wanted him at the meeting to make it clear that “anyone who transgresses the law and damages an investigation for improper reasons will be punished,” the outlet reports.