The race for commissioner: Ben-Gvir’s Israel Police head candidate may be disqualified

The Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments in Israel, led by the former president of the High Court of Justice, Asher Grunis, is set to meet this Thursday. On the agenda is a discussion designated to decide on whether to appoint Avshalom Peled as the new Israel Police commissioner.

The committee, which conducts background checks on candidates who are nominated for senior positions, must investigate any evidence presented to them against a certain selectee.

They received evidence from Peled’s opponents, claiming that the appointment was an attempted political and strategic move by the man who nominated him for the role, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The objectors who presented the case provided evidence that the Department of Internal Police Investigations opened an investigation into Peled in 2015.

Why was the Israel Police commissioner candidate investigated?

Then, there was suspicion that Peled had asked the head of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council to hand out permits for illegal construction. Moreover, Peleg may have allegedly allowed unlawful building developments to take place, only asking for authorization for these after the fact.

Peled’s case was closed after the investigation, with the recommendation not to promote him in rank.

However, the commissioner at the time, Roni Alsheikh, decided to promote Peled and raise him in rank nonetheless.

Alsheikh is a former Mateh Yehuda Regional Council resident himself.

Today, the opponents of Peled’s appointment are bringing this investigation to the limelight again.

Ben-Gvir countered the complaint, stating that nine years had passed since the investigation was opened.

He added that Peled had been promoted in rank several times since the investigation was closed.

Israel Police commissioner candidate accused of serving Ben-Gvir's interests

In mid-June, current Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai informed Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara that Ben-Gvir had instructed Peled to refrain from providing security for the aid convoys headed toward the Gaza Strip.

Shabtai wrote to the attorney-general, telling her that if this instruction was refused, Ben-Gvir would threaten that “there would be consequences.”

“When the commissioner wrote that, I had a chat with the deputy commissioner. He was hiding that the conversation took place while he was in surgery and that the deputy commissioner was filling in for him,” Ben-Gvir said in response.