National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has decided to push off senior police appointments until after the October 27 election, reportedly backing away from a deal he cut with Police Commissioner Daniel Levy to promote top officers as soon as this week.

In a statement quoted by Hebrew media on Sunday, Ben Gvir said he “made clear to the chief commissioner that it’s unseemly to make senior appointments six weeks before the election, because that could strike part of the public as a power grab.”

“All appointments will be frozen until after the election, except urgent cases that will be examined individually,” the statement said.

Though Ben Gvir attributed the appointments freeze to the election, Hebrew media reports said his agreement with Levy fell through because of disputes over the positions of the force’s deputy legal adviser and head of the police’s lawsuit division.

Sources close to Ben Gvir were cited by the pro-government Channel 14 as saying the minister was blocking candidates Levy wants to promote who are considered close to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The attorney general, whom the government seeks to oust, has repeatedly clashed with Ben Gvir and accused him of inappropriate interference in law enforcement.

One of the candidates purportedly allied with Baharav-Miara is Assistant Commissioner Tamar Liberty, whom Levy wants to reappoint to the role of deputy legal adviser, according to Channel 14 and other outlets.

A source in Ben Gvir’s office called Liberty “the attorney general’s pick,” and police confirmed there were “significant discussions” about Liberty’s appointment, the Ynet news site said.

Despite Ben Gvir’s statement, Ynet and Channel 12 both quoted a senior police official as saying police would proceed Sunday with planned discussions on senior appointments.

“The chief commissioner expects the national security........

© The Times of Israel