Police in Turmoil: Between Raids and Political Struggle

In recent days, the Israel Police has stood at the forefront of a complex struggle against organized crime, with approximately 500 officers leading a massive nationwide arrest operation against protection rackets last Monday (מקור ראשון, 2026; Jerusalem Post — front page, 2026b; ynet — חדשות, 2026). In this operation, which followed a 10-month covert investigation, dozens of suspects were arrested on charges of extorting contractors under the guise of providing security services (Israel.com, 2026; timesofisrael.com, n.d.-a). Simultaneously, the organization is dealing with new external threats, including the distribution of threatening flyers by an Iran-linked hacker group in northern Tel Aviv, an incident currently being investigated in coordination with the Shin Bet (רשת 13, 2026b; timesofisrael.com, n.d.-b).

The tension between the police and the political echelon, which reached a peak over the past year, is now more evident than ever in the dispute over appointment authority. Police Commissioner Daniel Levi recently requested that the Attorney-General allow him to move forward with senior appointments without the signature of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, after the latter had delayed them for many weeks (Jerusalem Post — front page, 2026d). Conversely, Minister Ben-Gvir attacked the conduct of the investigations division and the Commissioner, claiming that the police are acting under external influence (Jerusalem Post — front page, 2026a). Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara blocked the Commissioner's attempt to bypass the Minister's authority, which deepens the polarization at the top of the organization (JDN, 2026).

The roots of the current struggle lie in deep structural changes that have occurred over the last five years, primarily Amendment No. 37 to the Police Ordinance approved in late 2022 (JNS, 2026a). This amendment granted the Minister of National Security extensive powers to set policy and operational principles, changing the traditional balance of power between the professional echelon and the elected officials (JNS, 2026a). Previously, in 2021, then-Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai tried to promote 'Plan 555' to deal with a personnel crisis and a severe budget shortage, but most of the plan was not implemented, and the police remained dealing with persistent staffing challenges (JNS, 2026a).

An angle that does not receive sufficient attention is the dissonance between the growing operational need and the decline in public trust. Leading up to the 26th Knesset elections, the police were forced to increase their forces to 22,000 officers – an addition of about 5,000 people compared to previous elections (Anadolu, 2026; idi.org.il, n.d.). Nevertheless, data from the Israel Democracy Institute show that only 39% of the Jewish public and 25% of the Arab public express confidence in the organization (JNS, 2026a). This figure indicates a gap between the deterrence capability in the field, manifested in massive raids, and an inability to build legitimacy among broad audiences (JNS, 2026a; Israel.com, 2026).

The central challenge that remains open is the question of the long-term effectiveness of the raids against criminal organizations. While the police report dozens of detainees in the latest operation, other significant investigations, such as the 'Slice' case, remain stalled without visible results, leaving thousands of citizens without answers (גלובס, 2026; kan.org.il, n.d.). The question of whether the police will be able to continue to function as a professional and independent body under increasing political pressure, while maintaining its ability to handle both internal threats and national security threats, will be tested in the coming months (JNS, 2026a).