Peloni
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir – Own work, CC0, Wikipedia
In a highly recommended recent interview on TOV Channel, Dr. Pini Yehezkeli, a retired Deputy Commissioner in the Israeli Police, shares some important reflections on the achievements and limitations of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. Yehezkeli’s comments are particularly relevant in light of the recent ascorbic diatribe penned by Amit Segal castigating Ben Gvir as being “A Threat to Israel”. In that essay, which I encourage people to read and consider, Segal argues that Ben-Gvir has had some successes, but that his greatest achievement has been in his ability to market those achievements beyond a fair recounting.
Relevantly, it truly does appear that Min. Ben-Gvir stands chief among Israelis that everyone loves to denounce, as a Nazi, as a braggard, as a danger to the state, and a threat to democracy, yet in all of these depictions of Ben Gvir as the world’s favorite boogey man, which would agree with Segal’s stating that “another government with Ben-Gvir in a meaningful role would be a serious disaster for the country,” they honestly minimize or ignore entirely the very significant reforms which Ben-Gvir has brought to the Ministry of National Security. As Yehezkeli explains, Ben Gvir is probably the only one who could succeed in making these changes, and what is notable about Yehezkeli in making such a statement in contrast to the condemnations of Segal and other significant voices on both sides of the political stream in Israel and on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, is that as a retired Deputy Police Commissioner, Yehezkeli speaks from a position of knowledge and introspection which could only come from having spent his life within the very organization which Ben Gvir has been attempting to reform.
Yehezkeli explains that Ben-Gvir has easily been the most important police minister in Israel since Shlomo Hillel, whose reforms in the ministry during the 1970’s led to a vast expansion of the ministry from the limited police duties which preceded his term. Ironically, as Hillel came to expand the authority of the ministry, the attempt to sideline Ben-Gvir by the Leftist High Court has led to his being isolated from exerting any influence over specific investigations which Segal holds as being a mark of Ben-Gvir’s failures.
Indeed, Yehezkeli notes that, despite lacking direct operational authority over the police as the head of the Ministry, Ben-Gvir has nonetheless accomplished successful reforms which previous ministers could not. From the security squads in cities, to the return of security to Jewish communities, to the ability of some residents of Beersheba to receive personal weapons, to the changes in the Prison Service, Ben-Gvir is ending on a high of enormous structural changes within his ministry, which was all the authority which was left to him by the High Court.
In the interview, Yehezkeli specifically addresses the increase in crime, particularly in Arab society which Segal cited as one of Ben-Gvir’s great failures. Noting that Arab criminal organizations became stronger after Jewish criminal organizations were weakened, Yehezkeli explains that the steady flow of govt funds emanating from the Bennett-Lapid “change government” allowed for these criminal organizations to significantly gain strength. He also explains that by themselves, the police do not have access to some of the tools needed to crack down on these criminal gangs. Notably, Yehezkeli’s comments fail to address the reality that Arab mob violence is separately motivated along the lines of tribal structure inherent in Arab society everywhere, which is not something which Israeli police can or should be required to address.
In any event, however, Yehezkeli’s praise of Ben-Gvir’s many successes under his limited authority did not hold him back from addressing Ben-Gvir’s manner and its diplomatic consequences. Indeed, Yehezkeli challenges that there exists a general lack of respect afforded to Ben-Gvir by many who also refuse to show little regard for his important reforms. He emphasizes that this is a conseuence of Ben-Gvir’s provocative nature and the fact that his behavior lacks any semblance of the usual decorum associated with a govt minister. Nonetheless, Yehezkeli counters that Ben-Gvir would never have been as successful in implementing his reforms had he not been armed with this same confrontational nature which enabled him to overcome the significant opposition facing him from the security establishment. Yehezkeli concludes that Ben Gvir’s notorious behavior has been the mark which made his tenure so successful, but that it is also why he leads a party of 14 instead of having a much larger base which might have been expected if he could achieve the same goals with a more conservative demeanor. Something which comes to mind is also whether the diplomatic furor which is routinely raised against Ben-Gvir is truly related to his behavior rather than the actual reforms Ben-Gvir has put in place.
Ultimately, Yehezkeli reflections depicts a far more complicated picture of Ben-Gvir than the caricature which his critics prefer to present him. There is certainly room to criticize Ben-Gvir’s conduct, his rhetoric, and some of the diplomatic costs associated with his confrontational manner, and Yehezkeli does not in any way shy away from doing exactly this. Yet, it remains equally difficult to dismiss Ben-Gvir’s record of structural reforms which has made Ben-Gvir one of the most consequential ministers to hold the National Defense portfolio in decades, as assessed by Yehezkeli, a former senior police commander with firsthand knowledge of the difficulties in doing so.
Hence, whether one might find Ben-Gvir’s methods as being justified or not, his tenure cannot fairly be evaluated solely through the controversies surrounding his personality nor through the investigations over which he had limited or no authority. The more difficult and perhaps more honest conclusion is that the very qualities which make Ben-Gvir so objectionable to many of his opponents may also be the qualities that enabled him to accomplish changes that more conventional ministers were unwilling or unable to make.
In the end, we might simply find ourselves asking what might be the more important aspect of the Minister of the Police, the opinion held by others about his suitability for the post or his ability to actually make Israelis safer in a time of war?
humor
(Brilliant satire written by Caroline Glick all those years ago before Bennett and Shaked discredited themselves by caving to the left.)
https://youtu.be/Fpzrih1S6C0?is=jilazI4tUvUcqA5q
—
Apropos of nothing, Caroline Glick recently said she now writes articles for an article of one. My question: Does
she write satire for that audience, too? 😀 What I’d give to see it.)
–
On a personal note, I played in the orchestra of a Korean Pentacostal megachurch for many years. I’ve always been terrible at learning languages*, not for want of
trying. I tried for a few years to learn Korean for
one simple reason:
No, not because most of my colleagues were Korean, they all spoke perfect English.
Not to understand the sermons. We were provided with electronic devices with headsets to hear the live translation from somebody in the balcony.
Here’s why: The senior pastor used to tell jokes that had the congregation roaring with laughter** but those didn’t get
translated. That’s what I wanted to hear.
—
* Ten years ago, I was playing a gig in a Ukrainian church and we were invited to enjoy a marvelous vegetarian repast – it was some holiday, around Christmas, I think – and we were treated to a children’s play in Ukrainian in which a boy dressed in a suit of armor complete with spear, faces off with another boy dressed like a Chasid but with horns and a tail. As we we were getting into the car afterward, I quipped, “you know, it’s at times like this, I’m filled with a profound sense of gratitude that I don’t speak a word of Ukrainian!
Which prompted the further wry observation that people make fun of Americans for not being able to learn anything but English when people come here from all these tiny little countries speaking 5, 6 languages- but, you know, our greatest weakness might just be the source of our
greatest moral strength – I mean all the ATM’s, official bus and subway ads and phone trees are in 16 languages – we are so warm-hearted and generous to strangers that in some places we let non-citizens drive and vote.
But, you know, I think if we understood even a fraction of what people were saying about us in their own languages –
We’d be in a pretty bad mood. 😀
{Enter President Donald J. Trump}
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**Not at all unusual in my experience. It’s common knowledge that the churches have traditionally provided a steady living, an economic safety net, if you will, for classical musicians. I would say that they clearly have done the same for standup comics. 😀
https://combatantisemitism.org/cam-news/ukrainian-christmas-pageant-in-new-jersey-sparks-outcry-over-antisemitic-stereotypes/
Before Oct. 7, I attended a concert at a Reform synagogue, and another at the Upper West Side Jewish Community Center (JCC) where they played the Ukrainian anthem but not Hatikvah.
Warped, or what?
“REPORTING OF UKRAINE BY THE BBC
EDM (Early Day Motion) 462: tabled on 30 October 2017
Tabled in the 2017-19 session.
This motion has been signed by 10 Members. It has not yet had any amendments submitted.
Motion text
That this House is deeply concerned by the reporting by the BBC of the Kiev-based organisation C14, a far right organisation with neo-Nazi origins; considers the reporting of C14 activities fails to uphold BBC editorial values; is further concerned that the BBC has afforded a degree of legitimacy to C14, allowing it to disguise itself as a nationalist organisation engaged in reasonable activities designed to defend Ukrainian sovereignty; believes that the BBC has failed to apply due rigour in failing to report on the known history of violence by C14, including attacks on the LGBT community, violence against ethnic minorities, journalists and trade unionists and an attack on a police officer using a grenade during Kiev Pride; expresses deep concern at reporting of C14 activities as educational conversation and petty hooliganism; and calls on the BBC to uphold the values and standards expected by licence fee payers in the reporting on Ukraine.”
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/50927
“Report: Ukraine had more anti-Semitic incidents than all former Soviet countries combined
A Ukrainian state historian and researcher on anti-Semitism dismissed the Israeli government report as amateurish and the result of Russian propaganda.”
https://www.jta.org/2018/01/28/israel/report-ukraine-had-more-anti-semitic-incidents-than-all-former-soviet-countries-combined
“Ukraine: The right of self-determination supersedes sovereign inviolability”
By Ted Belman
https://www.israpundit.org/63688531-2/
“Ukraine: What should take precedence, sovereignty or self-determination?
That’s a good question, perhaps the ultimate question. Op-ed.
Ted Belman
Oct 27, 2022 at 8:25 AM (GMT+3)
Ukraine
Sovereignty
Ted Belman”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/361791
– Abbie Hoffman
– Emma Goldman
– Guy Debord
My comment: “Even a stopped clock is right twice a day” – Baroness Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (frequently attributed, apocryphal) . 😀
@Peloni There’s a paywall. I’m not going to pay to read what this schmuck has to say. Amit Segal is a threat to Israel. Thank God for Ben Gvir!
“ Overview
Amit Segal is an Israeli journalist, radio and television personality. He serves as the political commentator of Israel’s Channel 12 news and a political columnist for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. ”
He claims to be right wing? 😀
Channel 14 and Arutz Sheva (Channel 7) are the only right wing channels.
@Sebastien
He is Right wing and he is pro settler, but he has a LONG history of being highly critical of Ben Gvir. It is not something unique to him as many on the Right are highly motivated to speak out against Ben Gvir.
I wasn’t aware of the paywall to the article, so thanks for letting me know.
@Sebastien
Here is the link to the article in Israel Hayom:
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/08/20/another-government-with-ben-gvir-could-be-disastrous/
@Peloni
I’m confused about Ben-Gvir. Is he a good guy or is he a bad guy? I realize that may depend on who you are asking. In any case, will anything he says or does have a lasting impact?
Good guy:
When Rudy Giuliani first ran for Mayor of NYC, liberals said he was a fascist because he jumped on a car for effect while speaking at a police rally. 😀
Email Received:
Anything denied by the ag and the supreme court has got to be good for israel
It would be good to know which reforms Ben Gvir wanted to undertake that were denied by the supreme court and the AG. It would also be interesting to hear which investigations were not permitted by those same supreme court and AG.
I fully agree that his art of politics is unusual and grates on lots of nerves, but it seems that this is what it takes to get changes accomplished.
There are a few acts that have been widely reported around the world, such as his visiting the Temple Mount. One could easily argue that seeing the situation, first hand, is part of his job. His part in allowing Jews to visit the Temple Mount and actually pray there (Gasp!!!) is something that should have been permitted since June 1967. Where have all the others been?
In short, slandering Ben Gvir seems to be a popular sport nowadays. Keeping him on the job after the elections would probably gain popularity amongst the electorate if it became known.
@dreuveni
The most substantive reform that was blocked from being implemented was a provision that Ben Gvir announced which would render the Attorney Genl’s judgement as an advisory opionion rather than as a binding ruling. By doing so, he single handedly took on the failure of Judicial Reform and tried to implement it thru his Ministry, at least as far as the AG’s authority over the police. The result was that he was targeted to be removed by order of the AG, with the High Court making the ruling. Their ruling left him in power, but restricted his authority to only making general reforms and not interacting in any specific cases.
As to the investigations which were blocked, Ben Gvir ordered a heavy crackdown on the attempted Color Revolution protests which blocked main roads or which created disruptions. The High Court prevented him from ending these protests and left it to subbordinates police officers to make the decision how to handle the protests. When Ben Gvir criticized the lack of actions taken to end these protests, the court looked on that as a violation of their order against him involving himself in the protests.
As to specific cases, Ben Gvir ran afoul of his own internal police investigation dept. He was also criticized about his attempts to review claims of Settler Violence.
An important case surrounding the promotion of Rinat Saban following her involvement in one of the Lawfare cases against Bibi. Ben Gvir demanded that the promotion be blocked, and of course his order was ultimately cancelled by order of the High Court.
So there is an injunction into Ben Gvir’s not only acting in police matters, but he can’t even speak about what is taking place by his own police force, or add any input into those who are to be promoted in the police force.
The result of this was that the AG wanted Bibi to fire Ben Gvir. Bibi refused, so the AG asked the High Court to force Bibi to fire Ben Gvir.
Critics challenge that Ben Gvir’s response to the High Court’s case against him was both poorly made and off target, making the ruling against him more likely than not. When the Court did rule against him, it only upheld the ban on Ben Gvir from doing anything that might influence ANY ongoing police activity, but left him with the authority to make broad rulings on general police policy as long as it didn’t address current police activities.
One more criticism of note which has been raised against Ben Gvir is that he hand picked Boaz Balat as Deputy Commissioner and head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division. Balat has acted as the gate keeper holding Ben Gvir in check on behalf of the establishment and has acted to block Ben Gvir on many issues over the past few years. He also was involved in the promotion of Rinat Saban.
Additionally, Police Commissioner Danny Levi was picked by Ben Gvir, and Levi has played a more complicated role than Balat, but has acted to support the High Court over Ben Gvir to the great detriment of the country.
So Ben Gvir’s own major appointments have been highly damaging and limiting to his own authority. Ironically, this complaint was completely ignored in Amit Segal’s blistering report on Ben Gvir, which actually surprised me.
By the way, this should be understood to be a brief reply to your questions. Just fyi.