High Court hears petitions against law that expanded powers of Ben Gvir’s ministry
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

A nine-justice panel of the High Court opens hearings on petitions against a law passed in December 2022 at the behest of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir that gave the minister expanded powers over police policy.
Petitioners have argued that the law will lead to the politicization of the police and law enforcement in general, while the government contends that such politicization is still illegal even under the new law.
Justices, both liberal and conservative, pose a series of tough questions to the Knesset legal adviser defending the law.
Acting president of the High Court Uzi Vogelman and Justice Noam Sohlberg both express concern over the wording of the law, which allows the national security minister to determine general policy over police investigations and which says merely that those policies must be “heard” by the attorney general but that the minister must “take advice from” the police commissioner.
“Hearing doesn’t mean taking advice from,” says Sohlberg.
“It seems to be a deliberate downgrading [of the language], that’s pretty clear. Fleeing from the phrase ‘taking advice’ also says something,” says Vogelman.
Vogelman then asks what would happen if the minister sought a policy of prosecuting demonstrators for blocking roads and the attorney general opposed such a policy.
“This is a situation of clear clash [of authorities] which has no resolution,” says Vogelman.