Eight former police commissioners and more than 170 retired senior police officers took out an ad expressing concern about the firing of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and calling on the police chief to speak out in support of the rule of law and the court, N12 reported in a post on X/Twitter Thursday that shared the advertisement.“We, retired police commissioners, commanders, and officers, who served many years in the Israel Police in full cooperation with the attorney-general and the Shin Bet, did so from a deep commitment to fulfilling our job guarding democracy by upholding the law and maintaining public order,” the advertisement read.The ad also highlighted reports that the government would not follow High Court rulings, saying that these “upset the unified base of society, hurt national resilience, and raise a significant concern for the democratic nature of the state.”
The officers also expressed "worry at advancing the firing of the attorney-general and Shin Bet head, the continued attack on the rule of law, and the harm to gatekeepers,” saying that these mean harming the independence of the legal system and the state’s security.
The officers called on ministers to respect democratic principles and “avoid any step that could cause an irreversible rift and harm to Israeli society.”
“We expect to hear the clear and sharp voice of the police commissioner speaking out on the obligation to act in accordance with the law and court rulings, the signatories signed the letter.The ad was paid for by the former chiefs and officers signed on the ad.This is not the first time that former senior security officials have spoken out against recent moves by Israel’s government seen as the advancement of undemocratic developments in the country.
Alsheikh's warning
Former police commissioner Roni Alsheikh, who also signed the ad, spoke at a large protest in Tel Aviv last week, which was called after the firing of Bar.He warned about the trampling of Israel’s system of checks and balances and harm to gatekeepers.“I have children and, thank God, quite a few grandchildren who were born in our beloved country. I will not allow for the continued endangerment of their future,” he said at the rally.“Whoever stands by, whoever believes the pseudo-security linguistic gymnastics of the government and its head [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] will not have an explanation for the future generation of why we sacrificed the state of Israel for non-stately interests.”
Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo and former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen also spoke at the rally.