Police commissioner tells Ben Gvir NIS 333 million freeze is harming counterterror readiness
Published · Updated
What happened
Police Commissioner Danny Levy sent National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir a letter on September 9 saying a NIS 333 million funding freeze was harming police operational procurement, station upgrades and counterterror activity. Ben Gvir tied the budget dispute to disagreements over promotions and the police legal chain.
Why it matters
The dispute links police funding, chain-of-command authority and ministerial leverage during an election period. If the funding is not released or an outside authority does not intervene, police procurement and readiness plans may be delayed while the split between the minister and commissioner becomes more public.
Police Commissioner Danny Levy wrote to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on September 9 that a NIS 333 million budget holdback was affecting counterterror capacity, procurement and station upgrades. Ben Gvir linked the dispute to a promotions fight involving the police legal chain, turning a budget disagreement into a public clash between the minister and the commissioner. The immediate path to a decision runs through release of funds, continued withholding by the minister, or intervention by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Attorney General.
Watch for
Prime Minister's Office notice by 2026-09-18 on a Netanyahu meeting with Itamar Ben Gvir and Danny Levy over the police budget holdback Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara filing or formal opinion by 2026-09-18 on the legality of conditioning police funds on promotions decisions Israel Police statement by 2026-09-18 announcing delayed procurement, station upgrade deferrals, or changes to counterterror deployment tied to the NIS 333 million gap National Security Ministry notice by 2026-09-18 confirming release, partial release, or continued withholding of the NIS 333 million
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