Israel's attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine police minister's role

Israel's Attorney General on Thursday told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reevaluate the tenure of his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing his alleged interference in police matters.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent a letter to Netanyahu in which she described instances when Ben-Gvir, who is tasked with setting general policy, apparently gave operational instructions that threaten the police's apolitical status.

"The combination of the alleged improper interventions in police activities and police officers' dependence on the minister for their promotion undermines the possibility of ensuring that the police will act out of loyalty to the public and not to the political echelon," Baharav-Miara said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.

Ben-Gvir, who heads a small ultra-nationalist party in Netanyahu's coalition, wrote on social media: "The attempted coup by (the Attorney General) has begun. The only dismissal that needs to happen is that of the Attorney General."