‘Naftali has no friends’: Ben Gvir, Bennett spar as top cops attend minister’s birthday party |
After National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir invited senior officers of the Israel Police to his 50th birthday party Saturday night, former prime minister Naftali Bennett repeated his vow to fire anyone who takes advantage of their public position for political benefit if he wins the upcoming election.
The far-right minister, who oversees the police, celebrated his birthday at a venue in the agricultural community of Emunim, near Ashdod in southern Israel. On the guest list were fellow senior politicians, far-right activists and members of the police’s General Command Staff.
Ben Gvir has faced scrutiny over allegations of undue influence over the police, including in petitions at the High Court of Justice calling for him to be dismissed. The invitations to the force’s commanders — whom Police Commissioner Danny Levy allowed to attend — raised further concern about the pressure Ben Gvir places on law enforcement, which critics have warned is liable to undermine police independence.
Bennett, who is running in this fall’s election to unseat the current government, including Ben Gvir, echoed those concerns in a post on X that included an ostensible copy of the invitation. He lambasted Levy’s decision and reiterated his vow to dismiss public servants who politicize their roles.
“Tens of thousands of dedicated and good Israeli police officers deserve honest, efficient and statesmanlike command that sets a personal example,” Bennett posted. “Any public servant, in any role and in any government agency, who breaches his fiduciary duty to the country and exploits his role in a political and non-statesmanlike manner, will be immediately dismissed.”
That drew a one-line retort from Ben-Gvir, who posted, “Naftali has no friends, and also no work relationships — send him a cake from the party.”
Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz, a former high-ranking police investigator, likewise called the decision to grant officers permission to participate in the celebration a “grave incident in the moral and ethical sense.”
רבבות שוטרות ושוטרי ישראל המסורים והטובים ראויים לפיקוד ישר, יעיל וממלכתי שמעניק דוגמא אישית. Advertisement if(typeof........