Retired Police Officer Appointed Tiberias CEO Amid Ongoing Investigation
Retired police commander Avishai Mualem has ended his service and assumed the role of Tiberias Municipality CEO amid an ongoing investigation regarding alleged sensitive leaks to Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Retired Chief Superintendent Avishai Mualem, former commander of the Judea and Samaria District's Central Unit (YAMAR), announced the end of his police service on Thursday. Mualem is set to assume the position of CEO of the Tiberias Municipality, following the departure of former CEO Shimon Pinian due to disagreements with Tiberias Mayor Yossi Navon. The appointment comes while an investigation into Mualem's alleged ties with associates of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir remains ongoing.
The Investigation and Suspicions
According to the suspicions, Mualem allegedly passed confidential information from Shin Bet meetings to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in 2024, likely through Israel Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, particularly concerning Jewish terrorism, and supposedly without authorization. Investigators suspect that Mualem acted with a breach of trust and potential bribery as he sought a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. He was arrested in December 2024 and questioned for hours by the Internal Police Investigations Department (Mahash). Commissioner Yaakobi was also questioned, and an indictment pending a hearing has been filed against him.
Tiberias Municipality Approval
The Tiberias Municipality confirmed the appointment in a statement: "Retired Chief Superintendent Avishai Mualem began serving as CEO of the Tiberias Municipality this morning. For Mualem, a married father of three who spent nearly four decades in operational and command roles within the Israel Police, this is coming full circle as a native of Tiberias and someone who previously served at the local police station." The municipality added that Mualem holds the Medal of Courage for neutralizing a terrorist in Afula in 2001 and a citation from the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. His candidacy was approved by the municipal search committee.
"After 40 years of service in the IDF and the Israel Police, the time has come to pause, look back, and say goodbye. Forty years in which I had the privilege of serving the State of Israel with dedication and a deep sense of mission," Mualem wrote in a farewell social media post.
