The next police commissioner will take office only in January, but the next three months will be dramatic for the future of the police, during which National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will have to decide on the identity of the next police commissioner.
Among those standing in the ranks of the police, several prominent names can already be pointed out in the race for the most important office at the national headquarters: Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman, Deputy Police Commissioner Avshalom Peled and Coastal District Commander Yoram Sofer, who will soon be appointed as a project to fight crime in Arab society, Yoram Sofer.
Doron Turgeman, Yoram Sofer, Avshalom Peled, Avi Biton and Yoram Halevi, Cinematography: Oren Ben Hakon, Dudi Vaknin
One person who is particularly close to Minister Ben-Gvir among the candidates isCommissioner Avshalom Peled, whose acquaintance with the minister goes back to Peled's tenure (nicknamed "Avshi") as commander of the Hebron region. We remember the minister's words about Peled when he took up his current position: "During his service in Hebron, Peled did wonders, and taught us all how much we love the police."
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Peled was considered a professional officer. He commanded the Gidonim unit, and the Ramon Border Police, in addition he commanded the Negev region, served as deputy commander of the Jerusalem district, and before being appointed police commissioner he commanded the training division.
Another candidate isCommissioner Doron Turgeman, who has long been marked as a promising officer and a natural candidate for police commissioner. He commanded the Netanya station and in 2015 was appointed commander of the David District in the Jerusalem District. In July 2017, he was appointed commander of the Kedem Region. In 1999, he won the police's exemplary decoration by climbing from a balcony on the wall of a building to the fourth floor and saving a girl who was about to commit suicide.
Another but young candidate, Doron Turgeman (archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Despite the fact that he is relatively young, he has been praised by Minister Ben-Gvir for some time, after the minister initially reprimanded him for the conduct of the police at one of the demonstrations in the capital.
One of these names is the name of the experienced prefectYoram Sofer.In 2000, Sofer joined the Blue Police after serving in the Border Police and previously to the Blue Police from Megev. He commanded the Ashkelon, Be'er Sheva and Lachish stations. In addition, he commanded the Center for Police Studies and was head of the police administration for the light rail in Tel Aviv. In February 2019, he was appointed commander of the Southern District with the rank of Extra, and in 2021 he was appointed commander of the Hof District.
Sofer was recently interviewed by Channel 12 News, where he said, "Why do we have to say 'no' to the minister of national security? You have to understand what the minister's direction is." Sofer's recent appointment to the position of projector puts him in a convenient position to skip to the position of police commissioner, due to the relative proximity to the minister required by the position and the ongoing conduct vis-à-vis the various government ministries.
Minister Ben-Gvir (Archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
As a rule, the possibility of appointing a police commissioner outside the ranks of the police should not be ruled out. One of these names is the name ofretired Major General Yoram Halevy, who was praised for his recent role as commander of the Jerusalem District. Halevy saw himself as a leading candidate for the position of police commissioner after Roni Alsheikh, in light of a series of positions he performed, including four positions as extraordinary. When his candidacy for police commissioner was announced, sources close to Alsheikh tried to thwart the possibility.
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