Jooish

A political controversy erupted in Israel on Monday following the release of leaked recordings in which a senior police official reportedly accused prosecutors of keeping criminal cases open to pressure individuals and using the threat of investigations against police officers.

The recordings, featuring Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division chief Boaz Balet, prompted sharp reactions from senior Likud and Religious Zionist officials, who demanded an independent investigation into the conduct of the State Attorney’s Office, the Police Internal Investigations Department (Machash), and senior law enforcement officials.

According to a report by Channel 14, Balet was heard alleging that prosecutors sometimes keep criminal files “in a drawer” to exert pressure on individuals, while Machash uses the possibility of summoning police officers for questioning as a means of intimidation.

Balet’s office responded that his remarks had been taken out of context.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issued one of the strongest reactions, accusing the prosecution and Machash of systematically abusing their authority.

“The State Attorney’s Office has become a criminal organization, and Machash a criminal militia serving the prosecution,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.

He further alleged that right-wing political leaders have been targeted with fabricated criminal cases and that police officers and prison officials have been subjected to threats and pressure when they refuse to cooperate.

“The prosecution mafia is the most serious threat to Israeli democracy!” he declared.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the recordings raised serious questions about the relationship between law enforcement authorities and major Israeli media organizations.

Smotrich argued that the failure of the recordings to generate a broader public outcry demonstrated what he described as deep institutional corruption.

“We must reform the Israeli judicial system. We simply must. Our very future depends on it,” he wrote.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin seized on the controversy to renew his call for sweeping changes to Israel’s judicial system.

Levin said that when he first presented his judicial reform proposals four years ago, relatively few people understood their necessity, but that subsequent developments had demonstrated the need for change.

He argued that criminal investigations should never be used to intimidate elected officials and that unlawful surveillance of citizens has no place in a democracy.

Levin pointed to the appointment of hundreds of judges and legislation separating Machash from the State Attorney’s Office as examples of reforms advanced during his tenure.

“The pendulum has changed direction, but the mission has not yet been completed,” Levin said, urging the next government to continue the reforms.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi went further, demanding an outside investigation into Balet and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Karhi publicly questioned who might be exerting pressure on the senior police official and whether such pressure could explain what he alleged was the failure to properly pursue investigations involving the former military advocate general and allegations of election-related misconduct.

“Who is holding him by the throat?” Karhi asked, demanding that Balet disclose whether pressure had been exerted on him.

“An external and independent investigation now! Balet and Miara must be held accountable. No cover-up and no immunity,” Karhi wrote.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch also called for fundamental changes to the law enforcement system, citing the criminal proceedings against Netanyahu, the handling of the former military advocate general controversy, and allegations of foreign interference in the recent elections.

Likud MK Moshe Saada, a former acting head of Machash, defended legislation restructuring the police investigations watchdog, arguing that the recordings reinforced the need for independent oversight.

Religious Zionist MK Simcha Rothman, who chaired the Knesset Constitution Committee, said the recordings demonstrated serious problems within Israel’s prosecution system and insisted that any incoming government must continue efforts to reform it.

The Likud party issued its own statement, comparing the prosecution’s alleged methods to those of the Stasi, East Germany’s former secret police.

“The disturbing recordings of the head of the police investigations division should keep every Israeli citizen awake at night,” the party said.

Likud described the recordings as evidence of what it alleged was the politicization of Israel’s law enforcement establishment. The party further claimed that high-profile public corruption investigations disproportionately target right-wing politicians and are sometimes used to undermine elected governments.

The accusations remain disputed. The recordings, first aired Sunday by Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal, document Balet’s criticism of prosecutorial practices but do not independently establish that criminal cases were deliberately fabricated or used for political blackmail.

In his response, Balet emphasized that professional criticism between law enforcement institutions is legitimate and constructive. He also stressed that the police, prosecution and Attorney General’s Office continue to cooperate in enforcing the law and protecting Israel’s democracy.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)