From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
In apparent jab at judiciary, Ben Gvir defends his backing of army and police at memorial ceremony
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir appears to take aim at the High Court of Justice and Attorney General Gali Bahav-Miara during a Memorial Day speech at the military section of the Dimona cemetery in southern Israel, declaring that “the backing I give to the fighters and police officers in the field is absolute, because this is the only way to ensure that the sacrifice of your loved ones was not in vain.”
“We will not return to the days of exile and weakness,” Ben Gvir declares. “We are a strong people, with a resolute army and police, and with a government that is committed to a decisive victory.”
Ben Gvir is currently embroiled in a legal battle concerning his alleged interference in police matters. The High Court of Justice last week heard several petitions demanding his dismissal, which claim that the “backing” he provides police officers, especially those under criminal investigation, serves his political agenda and is liable to erode law enforcement’s restraint.
“We see, and this isn’t [just] a feeling, that the minister very much supports the police officers — that’s fantastic — but only if they do something for one side,” Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said to Ben Gvir’s attorney during a hearing.
Baharav-Miara has backed the petitions demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be forced to fire Ben Gvir.
In their decision last Thursday, the nine justices who heard the petitions ordered Ben Gvir to refrain from “expressing himself in the matter of using police force against citizens, including ongoing investigations” and told him and Baharav-Miara to reach an agreement to curb any undue influence on police work.
Ben Gvir has denounced criticism of his approach and has said that he “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.”
Charlie Summers contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.