Ben Gvir meets police chief on preventing celebrations of terrorist’s planned release
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir holds an assessment with police commissioner Kobi Shabtai and other law enforcement officials ahead of the imminent release of a prisoner who served decades in jail for murdering a soldier.
Cousins Maher and Karim Younis, from the Arab town of ‘Ara in northern Israel, murdered Cpl. Avraham Bromberg in 1980. The pair were given life sentences but these were commuted in 2012 by then-president Shimon Peres to 40 years.
When Karim Younis was released earlier this month, public celebrations were held in his hometown despite a directive from Ben Gvir to prevent that.
During the meeting, Ben Gvir again instructs police to prevent celebrations upon Maher Younis’s release in the coming days, police say in a statement.
“The Israel Police will do everything according to the provisions of the law and will not allow the violation of the law during the release of the terrorist,” Shabtai says.
“We are prepared for the release, and at the same time I spoke a few days ago with a relative of the late Avraham Bromberg and assured him that the Israel Police will not allow any support or sympathy for the terrorist,” the commissioner adds.
Ben Gvir had summoned Shabtai for a dressing down following the celebrations in ‘Ara, the first implicit rebuke of police by the new far-right minister, who demanded and received extensive powers over police policy during recent coalition negotiations.
“I trust you to do your best and I am hopeful that the incident will end with complete success and without support and incitement to terrorism, and we will bring good results for the State of Israel and our sovereignty,” Ben Gvir says in the statement.
