Ben Gvir: I will continue to appoint police officers based on who implements my policy

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir puts out a defiant statement following today’s High Court decision that limits his ability to make senior police appointments.

“I will continue to appoint [police officers] based on who implements [my] policy, as I have done up until this point, and if the attorney general interferes, we’ll blow up the negotiations,” he writes.

The ruling — meant to temporarily curb the far-right minister’s intervention in internal police matters as he enters talks to set defined limits on his influence — was issued in response to a petition demanding the court order his dismissal.

Petitioners claim Ben Gvir has routinely attempted to exert political pressure on police officers, undermining law enforcement’s independence.

Rather than accepting the petitioners’ request, justices enjoined Ben Gvir to reach an agreement with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that would limit his ability to intervene in police promotions, investigations and other sensitive matters.

In the meantime the court bars the minister from appointing officers to sensitive and senior law enforcement positions without agreement from police’s senior command. Before making any appointment in the realm of “investigations, law enforcement, freedom of expression and demonstration or [police’s] legal counsel,” the minister must also notify Baharav-Miara one week in advance, so she can provide an opinion regarding the prospective appointment.