The responsibility of new Police Commissioner Daniel Levi: Protect the public first - editorial

The Wednesday decision by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee to advance Israel Police District Asst.-Ch. Daniel Levi, the position of Police Commissioner comes at a worrying point for the force, which is understaffed, rife with conflict, and faces lowering public trust, especially with ongoing protests for over a year now. His task is monumental: Restore the faith.

The Senior Appointments Advisory Committee is responsible for ratifying seven senior appointments – five security-related (Chief of Staff, Mossad head, Shin Bet head, Israel Police Commissioner, and Israel Prison Service chief) and two economic-related (Bank of Israel governor and their deputy). Its job is to clear the proposed candidate for the appointment and make sure their ethical integrity lines up with the job.

Levi is the second candidate pushed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit). He started in the force in 1985 and was advanced to assistant chief within the last year.

The scandals and conflict surrounding Ben-Gvir’s more-than-direct involvement started when the coalition was formed and ministries handed out. The concern was that he would turn it into a militia that would carry out his goals instead of prioritizing the safety and security of all of Israel’s citizens.

One point in which this can be seen is that crime and death rates in the Arab sector have skyrocketed over the past two years. A lack of police presence and an inability to secure proper communication channels with individuals inside this minority community have created a vacuum into which crime syndicates grew in power. This is directly under the purview of the police and has been at an incline for the past two years. These are Israeli citizens who all deserve protection.

Levi’s candidacy came after Asst.-Ch. Avshalom Peled withdrew. The Police’s Internal Investigations Unit had investigated him. He had been filling in for former police commissioner Kobi Shabtai, who finished his term last month. Shabtai’s relationship with Ben-Gvir was fraught; he was seen as bending to the minister throughout most of their time working together, only to come out against him and his “politicizing” of the force towards the end of his tenure.

The complaints brought against Levi to the committee were by civilians regarding his management of anti-government protests in Caesarea. The complaints detailed aggression from police against protesters and during arrests, which garnered harsh criticism against the police at the time.

In June, 77-year-old Prof. Shmuel Oren was pushed and thrown to the ground, he told Ynet at the time. Several officers jumped on him, though he wasn’t resisting or acting violently against them.

Criticism for violence against protesters

In general, harsh and consistent criticism has been levied against the police and Ben-Gvir for violence against protesters. It’s been seen far too often, be it judicial reform, hostage deal, Ethiopian Israelis, or ultra-Orthodox men against the mandatory draft.

“Our police are given the power of life and death over us. They are armed and sent out among citizens to protect, serve, and maintain public order. They will always be tasked with working in challenging environments by the very definition of their work. When it comes to operating in protests, which will always be charged environments but are necessary in a democracy, police are making excuses for their violence and using tools that they have admitted endanger protesters,” the Post’s Economic Correspondent Eve Young wrote last month.

Levi’s critics charge that he is wholly aligned with Ben-Gvir’s motives regarding protests and protesters; legal aid groups have already noted that they are keeping a close watch on him. This is his chance to make a difference and prove them wrong.

Time will tell what he will do and which direction he will choose to take the police in, but there is no doubt that this is one of the most critical public security bodies this country has, and its citizens are losing faith in it daily. He can’t miss this opportunity, regardless of the pressures from above; his responsibility is to the citizens first.