From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Ben Gvir says he won’t extend tenure of prisons chief; National Unity urges PM to intervene
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he has decided not to extend the tenure of Israel Prisons Service Commissioner Katy Perry, saying he has a “total lack of confidence” in her while alleging she has not implemented his policies and even worked against them.
Ben Gvir accuses Perry of having conducted negotiations with imprisoned Hamas terrorists on the terms of their incarceration, and upbraids her for other incidents in which he says her actions were unacceptable to him.
The far-right minister also meets with Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to discuss extending his tenure, adding that another meeting will be held on the issue.
Ben Gvir had sought to replace both Shabtai and Perry instead of extending their tenure, but the outbreak of the war in Gaza following the Hamas atrocities on October 7 delayed those plans.
One of the conditions that war cabinet minister Benny Gantz’s National Unity party demanded of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for entering the government on October 11 was that no senior officials be replaced while it is in the coalition.
Responding to Ben Gvir’s decision, National Unity warns that replacing senior officials “at this time harms the functioning of the country during a time of war and is not right.”
“We expect the prime minister to prevent this harm to the country’s security and not allow decisions based on political considerations in the management of the campaign [in Gaza],” a statement from National Unity says.
