Rights10/12/2026

The Police, the Police Internal Investigations Department, and the High Court of Justice: What May Change After the Elections

A commentary article on Zman.co.il analyzes the possible consequences of a victory by the current coalition in the next elections. Its author, Eitan Melitz, believes that political influence over the police may increase, alongside a weakening of the bodies that oversee the actions of law enforcement officials.

Key facts

•Danny Levy’s term ends in August 2027
•The law concerning PIID passed by a vote of 43 to 39
•Beginning January 1, 2027, the attorney general’s legal opinions may become nonbinding
•Approximately 364.5 million shekels were allocated for the Shin Bet’s participation
•From the beginning of 2023 through mid-2024, 1,602 protesters were arrested
•The High Court of Justice has not yet ruled on the petitions against the law concerning PIID

Who Will Control the Police

According to the author, if the coalition wins, the next Israel Police commissioner will be appointed by a minister from the Otzma Yehudit party. The term of the current commissioner, Danny Levy, who took office on August 25, 2024, ends in August 2027; the government may extend it by one year upon the recommendation of the national security minister. The article also states that in January 2025, the High Court of Justice limited Itamar Ben-Gvir’s powers under the Police Ordinance, but the attorney general subsequently informed the court that the minister’s interference with police independence had continued.

The Police Internal Investigations Department, the Attorney General, and the High Court of Justice

In June, the Knesset approved, by a vote of 43 to 39, a law removing the Police Internal Investigations Department—PIID—from the structure of the State Attorney’s Office. According to the account provided, the justice minister will appoint the department’s director following the work of a search committee headed by the director general of his ministry; the law’s official name is not specified in the source, and the High Court of Justice has not yet ruled on the petitions against it. Another law provides that beginning January 1, 2027, the government may regard the attorney general’s legal opinions as nonbinding, except in criminal matters. In addition, following the change to the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee in March 2025, the appointment of a justice to the Supreme Court will require the coalition’s consent.

Complaints About Violence and Arrests

According to the data presented, the number of complaints to PIID about police violence rose from 934 in 2020 to 1,304 in 2022, and 1,299 complaints had already been filed in the first eight months of 2023. The state comptroller reported that in 2021, about 1.2% of the cases in which PIID completed its handling ended in an indictment. From the beginning of 2023 through mid-2024, 1,602 protest participants were arrested, but indictments were filed against only seven, according to data from the volunteer lawyers’ group Otef Ha'Atzurim. The author fears that weakening oversight will increase the risk of unlawful use of force and unjustified arrests.

Crime, the Shin Bet, and Privately Held Firearms

In July, the government decided to transfer approximately 364.5 million shekels to the Shin Bet for its participation in the fight against criminal organizations in Arab society, taking the funds from the five-year plan for that sector. A petition against the decision was filed with the High Court of Justice: the petitioners argue that the intelligence service will also be able to monitor people who have not broken the law; the court’s ruling is not provided in the source. At the same time, the number of private gun owners is estimated at approximately 300,000, and the High Court of Justice ordered a reexamination of thousands of licenses issued by people who were not authorized employees of the Firearms Licensing Division.

Why This Is Still a Forecast

The article is the author’s analysis, not a court ruling or an official election platform. It predicts that murder rates in Arab society will remain high, that a shortage of approximately 3,000 police officers will persist, that the issuance of firearms licenses will be expanded, and that there will be risks of selective enforcement. Some of the issues mentioned are still being considered by the High Court of Justice, and the source therefore does not report their final legal outcome.

What this means for you

For an ordinary person, the changes may affect how complaints against police officers are filed and investigated, the rules governing demonstrations, the use of covert measures against crime, and the review of firearms licenses. However, much of what is described is the author’s forecast, dependent on the election results, future appointments, and High Court of Justice rulings that have not yet been issued.

Find a lawyer for this topic

Case analysis based on court rulings