Deputy Commissioner (Nitzav) Avi Biton, set to return to the police in two days, plans to petition the High Court against Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai for reneging on a promise, reportedly backed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, to appoint him as deputy commissioner, Israeli media reports.
Nitzav Avi Biton, a senior Israel Police officer who is due to return to the force in two days after a previous leave or posting, intends to petition the High Court of Justice against Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, according to a report by journalist Moshe Steinmetz. The petition centers on an alleged promise, to which National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is also a signatory, that Biton would be appointed deputy commissioner (Sgan Mefake'ach). Biton reportedly plans to use the minister's public commitment as evidence against the commissioner, whom he accuses of breaking the pledge.
The dispute unfolds against a backdrop of tension between Ben Gvir and Commissioner Shabtai. As The Zioneer has previously reported (June 23), Ben Gvir sent a sharply worded letter to Shabtai accusing officers of deviating from expected standards. Another earlier bulletin (June 23) noted that Deputy Chief Itzik Alfasi also pursued court action after Ben Gvir blocked his appointment to a police spokesperson role, citing extraneous considerations. The current development marks a new front in the ongoing friction between the political echelon and the police command hierarchy over senior appointments.
The exact date of the petition and any formal response from the police or minister have not yet been reported.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake