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The race for commissioners: These are the leading candidates in the battle for the senior position

If there are no more political crises, Ohana is expected to announce his candidate this week. The chances of Acting Commissioner Cohen and the deputy are not slim. Michael, Halevi, Yedid and Barkat are the strongest candidates, and the commander of the Tel Aviv Bitan district, who is not on the betting exchange, may still surprise

• Commissioner of Police
• Amir Ohana
• Yoram Halevi
• Doron is a friend
• Shlomi Michael
• Moshe Barkat

Learn Levy

The Minister of Internal Security, Amir Ohana, is expected to announce his candidacy for the post of police commissioner this week. The timing of the announcement depends, among other things, on the political crises in the coalition, and some fear that it will not materialize this week. For the appointment of senior officials for approval, and from there - if it is found that there was no defect in his performance or skeletons from the past of the candidate nominated by Ohana - he will be submitted for final approval by the government.Ohana

's associates claim that the minister may apply for approval by the senior appointments committee. Former Homeland Security spokesman Gilad Ardan has asked the Goldberg Commission to nominate three candidates, but it has refused to do so and has asked Arden to name just one.

From talks with senior police and law enforcement officials, a picture emerges of four key candidates in the race.

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Superintendent (retired) Shlomi Michael

Retired Superintendent Shlomi Michael, married and a father of four, served in his last position as commander of the SJ District for nine months until he abruptly retired from the Israel Police. He enlisted in the Border Police in 1985 as a fighter in the Special Central Unit. Operations in the unit.

Michael was also the commander of the police undercover unit, and in 2008 he was appointed commander of the central unit (SAR) in the Tel Aviv district. He received the Medal of the Fight against Human Trafficking from the President of the Department of Investigations in the Tel Aviv Sq. In 2012, he was appointed commander of the IDF, and in February 2015, he was promoted to the rank of non-commissioned officer and appointed commander of the Judea and Samaria District (SY).

Under his command at the court, the killers of the three boys were killed in Operation Return of the Brothers, as well as the assassin who shot and wounded Yehuda Glick. Former officers who worked with him say that Michael brings with him to the position "extensive security and high-level investigative capabilities." The police operation to disband the sect led by Goel Ratzon in the Hatikva neighborhood.

During his tenure as commander of the Tel Aviv Sq., The murder took place in Bernoir in 2009, the shooting attack against the proud community that agitated the country - a crime that has not been solved to this day. A senior law enforcement official said that "his downside is that he does not have enough experience as a police chief." Another criticism came from a senior police official, who claimed in a conversation with Walla! NEWS that Michael was promoted to the rank of non-commissioned officer after only nine months in office and without having a replacement. He said, "He made a 'round' here to get a pension on the terms of a superintendent and that is an inappropriate thing."

In an interview with Walla! NEWS After retiring from the police, Michael said that "enough for me, I will not give another four years, I will do everything from the same thing, I will wait for the match and then they will bring someone from inside, someone from outside or someone else. I understood and exhausted."

Doron is a friend

A friend, divorced and the father of three children, he currently serves as the commander of the Jerusalem district. In March 2002, he took part in a takeover of a suicide bomber at the entrance to the city and received the police masterpiece decoration for it. In 2007, he was appointed commander of the David area in the Old City, and two years later he was promoted to commander of the Moriah area in south Jerusalem.

In 2011 he was promoted to the position of Chief Education Officer of the Police, where he served for about two years. In 2013, Yedid was appointed Deputy District Commander of the Northern District Police and in September 2016, he was appointed head of the Traffic Division. In February 2019, a friend was appointed commander of the Jerusalem district in place of Yoram Halevi, who retired from the police after not previously being commissioner.

A friend is considered a respected officer who started as a junior detective and progressed. If it depended on former meat Gilad Ardan, Yedid was the elected commissioner. In the law enforcement system, he is credited with successes in his previous position as head of the traffic department, when during the two years he served, there was a decrease in road deaths in the Jerusalem district. In the east of the city, during which time the number of Jews who climbed the Temple Mount increased significantly.

However, the police claim that he is known for problematic human relations within the organization. "He is a man who is not easy to get along with," said a senior police officer. He added that "the hard hand in crime in East Jerusalem has also led to complaints from Arab residents about excessive use of force."

Superintendent (retired) Yoram Halevi

Levy was in his last position as commander of the Jerusalem district, from which he retired in December 2018. However, after he was appointed police commissioner, for fear it will not be the Senior Appointments Committee approval because of "skeletons" side, as claimed by police officials and law enforcement recognizing the seriousness of the matter.

Halevi Among other things, he served as commander of the Southern District, after a round of police appointments resulting from the dismissal of Nisso Shaham. Under his command, the district faced security challenges during Operation Eitan, prepared for the establishment of the Baha'i city and the Holot facility, , Which included the deployment of police services in scattered localities.

Halevy, who enlisted in the police as a Battalion fighter and was wounded during a pursuit of a terrorist, served as an officer in various positions in the unit. .

senior police worked alongside Halevy told the talented commander. "He is a commander in every way, he is a strategist who knows how to lead processes," they said. "He has a deep understanding of the concept of the commissioner's role, and there is no doubt that if elected he will be a figure who can lead significant police reforms."

Alongside the compliments, however, there is the same concern regarding the senior appointments committee. "Halevy cannot be the next commissioner, there is no doubt that if his name goes up to the committee he will be disqualified immediately and a lot of slime will come out," said a senior law enforcement official. "Some are already waiting with a case ready for him due to problematic conduct in the past." To go with a candidate like Halevi to the Goldberg Commission is to commit suicide. "

Superintendent Moshe Barkat

Barkat, married and a father of two, currently serves as the commander of the SJ District Police. Barkat served in the IDF Intelligence Division and enlisted in the police in 1992. In 2006, he was appointed commander of the Jerusalem Holy Places Unit, and also served as Assistant Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen. In 2013, he was appointed head of the Police and Community Division.

In 2016, he was promoted to the rank of non-commissioned officer and took up his position as commander of the SJ district in the police. Barkat holds a bachelor's degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies and a master's degree in criminology.

In 2014, after the murder of the boys Yaakov Frenkel, Gil-Ad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach, Barkat headed the investigation team in the police failure at Hotline 100 and was not afraid to harshly criticize officers. Due to the report he authored, some officials were fired after the failure. In the past, he also served as the defense secretary of ministers Gilad Ardan, Yariv Levin and Yitzhak Aharonovitch.

A senior law enforcement official said of Barkat that "he is a talented officer with excellent interpersonal skills, and highly valued and loved by his subordinates. Most of the public does not know him because he is not one of those who seek out the microphones and make sure to stay away from the media."

However, Barkat's name was recently mentioned in the context of the failures in the rape case of the seven-year-old in Benjamin, in which a Palestinian named Mahmoud Katusa was first accused. Severe criticism was leveled at the conduct of SJ District investigators in the case, headed by Moshe Barkat as the district commander. Police sources said at the time that it was unclear why Barkat allowed the investigation of the local station, and did not transfer such a complex and sensitive case to a more elite and professional unit. R.I. S.I. or Blade Unit 433.

Alongside the top four candidates, senior law enforcement officials say there are two other police officers who are likely to surprise and appoint one of them.

Superintendent Yoram Sofer

Writer, married, father of two and grandfather of her granddaughter, serves as commander of the Southern District. He began his service in 1987 as a fighter in the Navy and also served as a saboteur. In 2000, Sofer moved to the Blue Police and was appointed operations officer in the Southern District. After that, he served briefly as commander of the Ofakim station.

In September 2006, he was appointed commander of the Ashkelon station, and in 2007, he was appointed commander of the Beer Sheva station. Was super served inter alia as the commander of a police academy, he served as deputy commander of the Judea and Samaria district three years and two years ago was promoted to major and appointed commander of the southern province instead of Moti Cohen, who was appointed acting commissioner.

Senior police official said that if the Ohana surprise candidate To be elected, it may be Yoram Sofer. "There is a good relationship between Sofer and Minister Ohana. "He is honest and valued and one of his important advantages is that he has no skeletons in the closet," he said. "I have no doubt that Yoram Sofer will pass a committee in seconds, he is clean and has no blemish."

However, in the eyes of many in the police the disadvantage of a writer lies in the fact that he was never a patrol officer. This is because he moved from the IDF to the Blue Police when he was a superintendent, after a number of command positions in the unit. In order to bridge the transition to the Blue Police, where he did not grow up, he underwent a six-month apprenticeship in the Tel Aviv district the surface.

Superintendent Shimon Lavie

Lavie, married and a father of three, serves as Northern District Police Chief. After his military service, he enlisted in the police and began serving as a detective in the Dan area of ​​the Tel Aviv district. Lavi served in several command positions, including commander of the Glilot station, officer of the Yarkon area operations division, commander of the Dan area, and in 2016 was previously appointed commander of the Sharon area in the Central District with the rank of non-commissioned officer. In January 2018 he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Central District. In June 2019 he was appointed to the rank of non-commissioned officer and took over the Northern District.

Lavie comes to the race with rich experience, having served in a number of field positions in the police. A senior law enforcement official said Kahi is highly regarded by the command and the Department of Homeland Security for his abilities. Former Minister of Internal Security Gilad Ardan defined Lavi as a "rising star" in closed conversations.

Despite this, Lavi's name made headlines as someone who failed to eradicate crime in the Arab sector - which is prevalent mainly in his jurisdiction. "What is happening in the Arab sector in the north is a jungle. There are seizures of weapons and activities initiated to locate weapons but it is a drop in the ocean," said a senior law enforcement official. "He was expected to bring more pace and lead to a change in numbers on the ground - this is not happening yet. If he wants to be a commissioner in the future, he is expected to increase pace."

"Ohana is expected to bring someone who is not on the betting exchange"

Three key commissioners are missing from the list: Acting Commissioner Moti Cohen, Tel Aviv District Commander Superintendent David Bitan, and Deputy Commissioner Superintendent Alon Asor.

According to law enforcement officials, Ohana may be surprising when it comes to the identity of the candidate. "Ohana is an unexpected man, as he surprised with Dan Eldad's appointment as acting attorney general, so he may surprise with the appointment of a commissioner and bring in someone who is not on the gambling exchange such as Pavilion."

The same source stated that although Ohana has not yet decided on the identity of the next commissioner, it is already clear that the chances of Moti Cohen and Alon Asor are slim to none. If there is no further rejection, Ohana will announce his candidacy this week and put an end to rumors and lack Stability in the police force that lasted close to two years.