Security minister, police chief patch things up

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Chief Yohanan Danino announced Tuesday that they have buried the hatchet following a public spat over the latter’s successor.

Following a tête-à-tête at Aharonovitch’s office in Tel Aviv, the officials said in a joint statement that they spoke about working together in choosing Danino’s successor, but agreed that the issue was not relevant right now and that arguing about it in the media could harm the police department.

The officials had sniped at each other on Monday in a sharp round of comments over how the next commissioner should be chosen.

Aharanovitch was irked after Danino made suggestions regarding the way to select a candidate for the next chief of police during an interview with Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

“It was an unfortunate statement by the current commissioner, who was giving me hints,” Aharanovitch retorted, speaking during a tour of the Western Wall Plaza. “That’s not the way things should be, and so I reject them and don’t accept them. It would be better if he dealt with his own affairs and not those of the next commissioner.”

During the newspaper interview, Danino, who took up his current position in 2011, made it clear that he supports finding a candidate from within the ranks of the police to succeed him — an approach the minister may not share.

Aharanovitch and Danino recently agreed on a reshuffling of top police positions, including a new commander for the Jerusalem district, brought on by the sudden resignation of two senior policemen amid a wave of reports alleging corruption and misdoings in the force’s upper ranks.