Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai admitted he made a mistake in the way he decided to dismiss Ami Eshed from his post as Tel Aviv district commander, in a statement delivered to the press on Saturday evening.
Shabtai’s announcement followed a stormy weekend for Israel Police after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made the decision to dismiss Eshed, according to the recommendation of Shabtai.
“For the past 48 hours, I have been taking stock of myself,” Shabtai said. “Today we enter the 10th week of protests; for 10 weeks the commanders and police officers of the Israel Police have stood guard, protecting the freedom of democracy in the State of Israel with their bodies.”
"I was wrong, I made a mistake in my judgment, I made a mistake with the timing, and with the way in which I made it, and I do not take this lightly."
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai
He reiterated the importance and difficulty of the roles played by police officers throughout the last two months of protests, which, in Tel Aviv, have been overseen by Eshed.
Shabtai said the decision to transfer Eshed to a different role had been in the works for some time, and was always supposed to take place after Ramadan, which begins in less than two weeks.
However, he admitted to having made a mistake in this decision, saying: “I was wrong, I made a mistake in my judgment, I made a mistake with the timing, and with the way in which I made it, and I do not take this lightly.”
He added that he would respect the request of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who strongly suggested that the government freeze the process of removing Eshed from his position, saying its legality is not certain.
Opposition MKs show support for Shabtai
Responding to Shabtai’s statement, Ben-Gvir accused Baharav-Miara of controlling the commissioner.
Former justice minister Gideon Sa’ar said “Shabtai did the right thing tonight. The response from Minister Ben-Gvir to his statement illustrates why he is not qualified in the first place for a position that includes ministerial responsibility over the Israel Police. Thursday’s brutal move was a foretaste of the coup d’etat’s menu. Maintaining the integrity of state institutions is more critical than ever.”
"Maintaining the integrity of state institutions is more critical than ever.”
Former defense minister Benny Gantz said he gives his full support “to the police commissioner and all Israel police officers who operate in a variety of arenas and under significant professional challenges.
"It is good to have a commissioner who acts according to the law. Kobi is a brave fighter who has served the State of Israel all his adult life. At this crucial hour, I would like to strengthen him and tell him – the people of Israel are with you.
“You are operating at a most significant time, tasked with maintaining the independence of the Israel Police, the security of the citizens of Israel and Israeli democracy.”
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.