Dissolve the government? Interior Security Minister Itamar Ben Gabir said today (Tuesday), during closed conversations with his associates, that if his demand to add thousands of police officers to the ranks of the police is not fulfilled, he will leave the government, as journalist Yuval Karni reports on Ynet. Minister Ben Gvir was quoted as saying: “Just as Levin will not compromise on reforming the law, I will not compromise on reforming personal security.”
Ben Gvir compared his demands to the demands of Justice Minister Yariv Levin for the realization of the legal reform, which the government is promoting these days: “Levin was elected because of the reform of the law and we helped him to fulfill it. I was elected because of the reform of personal security,” the minister said in the internal talks.
The realization of Ben Gabir’s plan depends on the Ministry of Finance, which these days is working on the formulation of the budget, when each of the government ministers demands budgets for their ministry. This coming Thursday, the discussions on this topic will be opened in a special cabinet meeting.
Israel Police, Ben Gabir demands more standards. Photo illustration: Israel Police Spokesperson
4,000 more policemen: Ben Gabir’s reform
About a month ago, Ben Gvir revealed the reform he aims to lead in the Israel Police, “Our plan is divided into two parts. The first part is strengthening the blue police. We will raise salaries for all police officers, from recruitment to the rank of inspector, inclusive,” Ben Gvir explained, adding that, “We are talking about an increase of between twenty and forty percent in the salaries of the police officers, in a way that will allow the police officers to exist with dignity, and will allow us to bring back and recruit the police officers.”
In addition to raising salaries, the Minister of Internal Security, Ben Gvir, said that he would like to recruit 4,000 police officers in the next two years, adding to that: “to complete the deficiencies in the equipment and procurement of the Israel Police.”
Ben Gabir Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
I also have the option of overthrowing the government
This is not the first time that Itamar Ben Gabir has threatened to overthrow the government. A month and a half ago, at an executive conference in which the minister participated, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the rocket fire from Gaza, saying that “I am the minister, and I am a member of the cabinet, and I also have the possibility of overthrowing the government.”