Israel’s police chief Jaakov Shabtai has criticized plans to establish a national guard led by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“An additional security agency whose areas of responsibility and activity overlap with those of the Israeli police is a decision that will have dramatic consequences for the internal security of the State of Israel,” he wrote in a letter to Ben-Gvir, several Israeli media outlets agree today reported. The reasons for this “unnecessary” step are unclear to him.
Cabinet wants to meet today
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is also reported to have expressed concerns. The cabinet wanted to deal with the issue today. It was still unclear whether Ben-Gvir’s plans would already be approved at the meeting.
According to his ministry, the unit will work alongside the police and military, dealing with “civil unrest” across the country. The focus should therefore be in the areas of “personal security, illegal weapons and the fight against crime”. Critics warn that Ben-Gvir could use the force with around 2,000 troops specifically against the Arab population or anti-government demonstrators.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised Ben-Gvir a national guard to avert his resignation. He had threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu suspended the controversial restructuring of the judiciary after months of mass protests.
450,000 people took to the streets
Despite the postponement of the restructuring of the judiciary, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country yesterday. More than 450,000 people are said to have demonstrated at around 150 locations. “The government does not want an agreement, it just wants to gain time to pass the judicial coup,” said the organizers, referring to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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