Israel's police commissioner Kobi Shabtai warned National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against the creation of a national guard that be subordinate to the minister.
In a letter sent to Ben-Gvir last week, Shabtai called the move "unnecessary, with extremely high costs that may harm citizens' personal security." According to the police chief, there is no need for the establishment of this new body, which may even "cause heavy damage to the country's internal security systems."
Aside from the Police chief, the head of the Shin Bet security service also expressed disapproval of the proposal. According to sources in the security establishment, Bar expressed his opposition in closed conversations, arguing that "it is not possible for two police forces to operate at the same location in the field." In response to the report, the Shin Bet stated that its position on the subject "will be handed over to the decision-makers."
Haaretz also learned that Israel's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, is expected to point to significant legal difficulties in the establishment of a national guard under minister Ben-Gvir in her final opinion on the subject which is set to be published on Sunday. The AG will reportedly argue that while the government is "authorized" to establish such a body, the proposal "embodies a reversal of the usual order of operations," in that the decision was made "before staff work was conducted that would define the need for the new body, its mission, its roles and tasks, its organizational affiliation, its operation patterns and its funding sources." The National Security Ministry is reportedly making efforts to adapt its proposal in order to address these legal difficulties.
In response to the reports, Ben-Gvir's office stated that "Bahrav-Miara does not understand her place as a consultant," and that "the National Guard must stand up in order to restore security to the streets."
Ben-Gvir's proposal to establish a national guard will be discussed Sunday during the weekly cabinet meeting. In order to fund the national guard, the government will need to approve a budget cut of roughly one billion shekels (about $280 million).
Shabtai asked Ben Gvir not to make the decision on the establishment of the new force without convening the security cabinet, and demanded to participate in the cabinet meeting to present his position.
According to Ben-Gvir's plan, about 1,800 new police officers will be recruited in the next two years to the force at a cost of 1.4 billion shekels (roughly $400 million) per year. On top of the preexisting officers, the total troops for the national guard will stand between 2,500 and 3,000. Ben-Gvir said a budget has already been secured. Its personnel will receive the authority of police officers.
Security officials say that one of the top candidates to lead the national guard is Col. (ret.) Avinoam Emuna, a former commander of the IDF's Maglan unit who recently decided to retire from the army after realizing that he would not be give command of the Paratroopers Brigade.
Prior to entering the Gaza Strip during an IDF operation, Emuna was filmed telling his soldiers to 'kill them as they run away,' an apparent reference to Palestinian militants in the Strip. During his tenure as a senior commander in the Golan Heights, Emuna demanded a male soldier serve as his spokesperson, and not a female soldier - a request that was approved by the IDF.
During an interview given to Israel's Channel 13 on Saturday, Ben-Gvir defended the decision to establish a national guard, and rejected the claims that it would become his personal policing force.
While speaking about those whom he'd like to see enlist to the national guard, Ben-Gvir specifically mentioned La Familia, the racist hooligan fan club of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, and said that there are "officers and ethical people" among them.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed last week to Otzma Yehudit's demand to establish the National Guard in exchange for the faction's agreement to postpone the judicial legislation until after the Knesset recess. Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir's signatures appear on a commitment document published by Otzma Yehudit for creating the body.