The outgoing Minister of Internal Security, Amr Bar-Lev, held a farewell speech yesterday (Wednesday) to the media bodies before leaving his position. Among other things, Bar-Lev referred to the violence in Israeli society, to his replacement in office, to the embarrassing mistake during the funeral of Dorit Yahavs, to the Temple Mount and other sensitive issues that are under the responsibility of his office.
"Israeli society has become violent and part of that is the mandates that went to Ben Gabir and Smotrich. This is a new phenomenon of belief that problems can be solved by force," said Minister Bar-Lev.
According to him, in recent weeks, at the same time as trampling attacks carried out by Israeli Arabs, there has also been a dramatic increase in "price tag" operations carried out by Jews in Palestine, which Barlev also links to "the minister who is supposed to replace me".
In a farewell conversation with the letters, Bar-Lev referred to his expected replacement and said "I am clearly disturbed by the appointment of Ben Gabir. The violence is not momentary. I see a direct connection between the increase in price tag events and Ben Gabir's entry into office and connect with his attacks on the Chief of Staff and his desire to criticize the Givat soldiers in jail.
It is to inflame the verbal and physical violence."
In addition, Bar-Lev also warned against the change in the status quo on the Temple Mount and said that such a change "will unequivocally lead to a third and fourth intifada."
In response to the question of whether Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu will maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount, he said, "What is clear to me is also clear to Netanyahu."
Despite his shaky relationship with his replacement, Bar-Lev said that he intends to make an overlap with Ben Gavir when required.
Bar-Lev admitted yesterday that he paid a political price for his support of the police, since his decisions did not match those of his immediate environment.
"It is much more than that. A large part of the decisions did not please my political entourage. They all wanted me not to approve the parade of flags in 2021. In the end, I did not think about my base, but about the right thing. Not always everyone thought as I did. It is very convenient to throw away Potatoes for someone else. Imagine how many Wetsaps I received from my close friends to do this and do that. In the end I paid a price."
Regarding the authority that Ben-Gvir demands for the Iosh police force, Bar-Lev said that the unit must remain under the command of the army.
His deputy Seglovic pointed out that according to international law, the IDF is operating in an occupied territory of which the IDF is the sovereign, and therefore the command in the area should be uniform and under the sole authority of the commanding general.
Regarding the intention to change the police order in order to transfer more powers to the next minister, he said, "The police is an enforcement organization, everything that has to do with the use of force is solely the commissioner.
The immediate meaning of this is the politicization of an enforcement organization."
In response to the question of whether he regrets anything that happened during his time as minister, Bar-Lev returned to the embarrassing mistake that happened to him during the funeral of the late Dorit Yahavs, who was murdered in an attack in Be'er Sheva, when he said in his remarks that the terrorist who carried out the attack "will go to prison" when he was already dead "The unnecessary sentence I said at the funeral, I would be happy if it were possible to take things back," he said.
Bar Lev revealed that he intended to change the name of the Israel National Guard to the Israel National Guard. Commissioner Shabtai said that the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces will not give up because they are jealous of the unit's pride. The National Guard that will be established at the Israel Defense Forces will be called the "Israeli Guard".
Security Guard soldiers on the Temple Mount (archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"Ben Gvir - a convicted felon"
In the meantime, the director general of the Ministry of Internal Security Tomer Lotan referred to the manpower crisis in the police and said that this year about 300 police officers will retire from the police, more than the proposed annual retirement number of about 500 police officers.
The Deputy Minister of Defense Yoav Seglovic (Yesh Atid) referred to the minister who is destined to enter the ministry, Itamar Ben Gvir and said "This is a criminal who was convicted of crimes of incitement.
The Shin Bet checks the actions of some of the people around him and he is going to sit in one of the sensitive positions, and somehow it passes - it doesn't pass me."
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