Police chief said to order senior cops to avoid direct contact with Itamar Ben Gvir

Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai has instructed officials under him to avoid direct contact with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, according to multiple reports in Hebrew-language media Monday, the latest signal of intensifying friction between the nationalist cabinet member and government professionals.

Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees the police force, has reportedly sought to direct police actions by going around Shabtai and directly contacting district-level commanders.

“I alone am the liaison between the minister and the police,” Shabtai told senior officers Monday morning, according to the reports. “There are policies from the minister and we do our best to carry them out on the ground, with discretion.”

Ben Gvir and Shabtai have tussled recently over the police response to massive nationwide protests against government plans to rein in the judiciary, with the minister pushing for cops to take more aggressive measures against demonstrators, whom he terms “anarchists.”

Last week, Ben Gvir attempted to remove Tel Aviv police chief Ami Eshed after grousing that cops were treating protesters with kid gloves and allowing them to block roads and the Ayalon Highway. Police “didn’t follow my instructions throughout the day, both at the airport and on the Ayalon… They do whatever they want — it won’t continue,” he was reported to say.

On Friday Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara froze the move, saying she suspected it had been made under undue political influence.

Shabtai had approved Eshed’s demotion, apparently amid longstanding tensions with the top officer, but admitted on Saturday that taking the step at the current time had been an error.

Eshed was on vacation during mass protests in Tel Aviv on March 1, when police came under criticism for using a heavier hand with protesters, leading to several injuries. His deputy oversaw those rallies, with police conduct then praised by Ben Gvir for its severe response toward unruliness.

According to Channel 12 news, Ben Gvir or aides have on several occasions contacted police commanders underneath Shabtai during operations, bypassing the normal chain of command.

Commanders who met with the commissioner Monday were instructed that should Ben Gvir or his aides try to contact them again, they should refer them to Shabtai, the reports said.

Another source present in the meeting said commanders were told they should continue to act at their own discretion when handling protests.

“The instruction is not to clear blocked roads at any price,” the source told the Ynet news site. “If a commander on the ground thinks it does not need to happen, they have full backing to decide that.”

A source close to Ben Gvir quoted by Channel 12 shrugged off Shabtai’s instructions, while claiming they were a result of pressure on him by protest leaders.

“We’re not getting worked up. The police chief is under intense pressure from the attorney general and leftist protesters embittering his wife’s life,” the source said.

Ben Gvir has also sought to bypass the attorney general, petitioning the High Court on Monday to allow him to appoint independent counsel in petitions against him and his ministry.

Ben Gvir complained to the High Court in his filing that he had no faith in the attorney general’s willingness to represent his position in legal proceedings, describing her behavior toward him as “illegal, unreasonable, disproportionate and unfair.”

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.