Retired judge accused of racism after rejecting candidate for top cop
Legal official and senior minister allege that vetting committee led by Eliezer Goldberg disqualified Moshe Edri due to his Middle Eastern descent
Michael Bachner is a news editor at The Times of Israel

Controversy built up Sunday over the identity of the next chief of the Israel Police, as Education Minister Naftali Bennett as well as legal sources accused a vetting committee of racism in rejecting the government-picked nominee.
The Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, also known as the Goldberg Committee, announced on Friday that it could not recommend Maj. Gen. Moshe “Chico” Edri as the next commissioner, citing a meeting he held during the nomination process with the lawyer of a Tax Authority whistleblower who has accused Edri of harassing him.
But a senior legal source was quoted Saturday night by Channel 10 news as saying the meeting had just been the pretext, and that former Supreme Court judge Eliezer Goldberg, who chairs the committee, had from the start been seeking a pretext to reject Edri, who is of Middle Eastern descent.
“Goldberg thought from the first moment that he’s stupid and illiterate,” the source said. “When Edri began talking he was disorganized and didn’t impress him. He thought he wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the drawer, and that’s an understatement. He may be right, but to portray him as corrupt?”
Former senior police official Uri Barlev, an associate of Edri, told Channel 10 that the committee targeted Edri “based on racism or because [Goldberg] didn’t like him.”

Bennett, who leads the Jewish Home coalition party, said Sunday morning that if the allegations against Goldberg were correct, “there is no term for this other than ethnic racism.”
“They sent him take to a polygraph so he would withdraw his candidacy, and when he passed it anyway, they came up with [accusation about] the meeting with the lawyer,” he told Army Radio. “That is horrific and not within the committee’s authority.”
Bennett said the committee had the power to check only candidates’ integrity and not their suitability to perform the job, echoing comments by other coalition lawmakers calling to disband the committee over the matter.
“As long as we look for people who never erred, we will get mediocre people who are afraid to make decisions,” Bennett added.

Associates of Goldberg responded to the allegations, saying it was “incredible how low people can stoop.”
“He doesn’t need to argue whether he’s racist or not,” they told Hadashot TV news. “The questions on that matter are unnecessary, the answers are unnecessary, and most of all — the remarks attributed to the judge are unnecessary.”
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who nominated Edri, harshly criticized the committee over its decision and vowed to push ahead with the appointment despite the disqualification.
The committee’s decision drew criticism on Saturday from other coalition lawmakers, who vowed to back Edri’s nomination in a cabinet vote, and called for the vetting committee to be disbanded.
Among them was Likud MK Amir Ohana, who said, “Israeli democracy is under threat, not because of the politicians, but because of the bureaucrats and legal advisers… They were never chosen by the public and never assumed responsibility for their ‘recommendations,’ which become de-facto decisions.”

It remained unclear whether it would be legally viable for Erdan to sidestep the government-appointed vetting committee, and a cabinet approval of Edri despite the committee’s objections would likely lead to legal petitions and a High Court battle.
Edri’s nomination had drawn widespread praise from politicians in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Edri was a “fitting appointment” and called him a “good and experienced officer.” Edri beat out Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevi, who was considered the front-runner for the position, and current Tel Aviv police chief David Bitan.
However, despite widespread government support for Edri, questions have surfaced over his past conduct and tenure as Jerusalem’s police chief.
Last week, Edri underwent a lie-detector test at the request of the appointments committee due to the sensitive nature of the commissioner position; the fact that there were complaints against him regarding unspecified inappropriate behavior; and the fact that other contenders for the job had already undergone the test.
The four-member panel voted 2-2 on Edri, forcing a tie-breaking vote by committee chairman Goldberg.
Edri’s nomination also faced opposition from LGBT rights groups in Israel, which criticized his handling of the 2015 Pride Parade in Jerusalem in which ultra-Orthodox extremist Yishai Schlissel stabbed to death 16-year-old Shira Banki and wounded five others.
Erdan’s office said he would seek cabinet approval on Sunday to appoint Maj. Gen. Moti Cohen as acting police chief for a period of 45 days, or until a new commissioner is appointed. Current police chief Roni Alsheich is slated to retire on Monday after four years in office, after Erdan, who has often clashed with the outgoing commissioner, declined to extend his tenure by an additional year.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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