A government advisory panel has ruled that the candidate chosen by the cabinet as Israel's next police chief is unfit for office, sparking criticism by several ministers who accused the panel of overstepping its purview.
Outgoing Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh is slated to retire officially on Sunday. The government nominated former Jerusalem and Tel Aviv district commander and current Public Security Ministry director general Maj. Gen. (ret.) Moshe Edri as his successor, asking the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee to vet him.
The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Eliezer Goldberg, found it difficult to support the nomination, saying Edri's past conduct raised questions about his credibility.
Although Edri successfully passed a committee-ordered polygraph test, the panel decided to put the kibosh on his nomination, citing a meeting Edri held during the vetting process with the lawyer representing Tax Authority whistle-blower Rafi Rotem, who is alleging police harassment.
Edri asserted the meeting was not about Rotem, but the commission argued that Edri holding the meeting at all at such a sensitive time indicated "lack of judgment that leads to inappropriate conduct."
The committee announced its decision just after midnight Friday, saying it would not sign off on the nomination as it would "damage the public's faith in the police."
The decision sparked harsh criticism by government ministers, which was only exacerbated when it emerged that the four-person panel was split down the middle in its decision, leading Goldberg to use his tie-breaking vote to reach a verdict.
Edri's nomination had received wide government backing, defeating Jerusalem District Police chief Yoram Halevi and Tel Aviv District Police Commander David Bitan.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced Friday that he found the decision "puzzling" and "unacceptable." He said he would seek to change the committee's position, adding that if he failed, he plans to push ahead with the appointment anyway.
"Moshe Edri successfully passed a polygraph test, which the committee ordered him to take. No other candidate – not for the Supreme Court, not the state attorney, not even the Shin Bet [security agency] director – has ever been asked to do that," Erdan tweeted.
"This is the second time an officer who dedicated his life to Israel's security is being wronged and I will fight it," Erdan added, referring to the 2015 attempt to nominate Brig. Gen. (ret.) Gal Hirsch to the role of police commissioner. At the time, the nomination was met with widespread criticism over Hirsch's performance as the commander of the IDF's 91st Division during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. The controversy eventually forced Erdan to rescind the nomination.
At the time, Erdan said Hirsch had been subjected to "a campaign of defamation and character assassination."
Echoing Erdan Friday, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked also criticized the committee's decision.
"It is the government's job to appoint the police chief – not the Goldberg committee's. Nobody is perfect, but the government needs to appoint the best candidate for the job," he said.
If Erdan decides to go ahead with the nomination despite the committee's ruling, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have to decide whether to present the nomination for approval in a cabinet vote Sunday.
Netanyahu had previously said that Edri was a "good and experienced officer" and that tapping him as the next police chief was a "fitting appointment."
Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit's office said Friday it would review the Goldberg committee's decision-making process, as well as Erdan's selection process.
To avoid a leadership vacuum until the issue is resolved, the government may name Deputy Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Zohar Dvir as acting police chief.
Sources familiar with the issue said that even if Dvir is in fact appointed, a permanent commissioner would have to be named urgently as Dvir is slated to retire at the end of the year.
