Chair of the Movement for Quality Government: “Political interference in police activities is a serious violation of the rule of law and national security”.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel today, demanded that the attorney general, Adv. Gali Baharav-Miara, immediately open an investigation to examine the conduct of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and the Israel Police regarding the events of the violent infiltration of IDF bases that occurred yesterday.
According to reports many protesters, including elected officials from the government coalition, forcibly broke into the IDF bases at Sde Teiman and Beit Lid in the course of violent confrontations with soldiers and officers. This serious incident took place against the background of the arrest of nine soldiers suspected of abusing a Hamas terrorist.
The Movement notes the alarming reports that the police took a marginal role in the incident, arrived after a considerable delay and with limited forces, and avoided dispersing the rioters. Moreover, there were reports of serious concerns that this conduct was a direct result of the intervention of Minister Ben Gvir, who allegedly delayed and even prevented the police from responding to the violent events.
Adv. Tomer Naor, head of the legal department at the Movement for Quality Government in Israel: “This is a bleak and dangerous situation, in which a senior minister in the State of Israel is abusing his position to run the Israel Police as his ‘private police’. Such a blatant interference in the conduct of the police, especially in an event in which members of the minister’s party took part, constitutes a grievous injury to national security and to the basic principles of the rule of law.”
The Movement recalls that the Supreme Court ruled not long ago that the Minister of National Security does not have the authority to run the police himself or to interfere in their operational conduct. Despite this, since amendment No. 37 to the Police Ordinance was enacted, it seems that there is a continuous violation of the independence of the police and the status of the commissioner.
In light of the seriousness of the matter, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel demands a comprehensive, immediate and thorough investigation of the events, including an examination of the involvement of the Minister of National Security in the conduct of the Israel Police in the serious incident.
Adv. Dr. Eliad Shraga, chair of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel: “The independence of the Israel Police is a fundamental value in Israeli democracy. Any attempt to turn it into a political tool in the hands of one minister or another constitutes a real danger to the rule of law and to the national security of the citizens of Israel. We call on the attorney general to act without delay to ensure the independence of the police and to prevent any political interference in their activities.”
