Yariv Levin has taken control of the search committee for selecting the heads of the PID
An update to the High Court of Justice has revealed the mechanisms behind the formation of the new PID search committee. The Attorney General has joined petitioners calling for a halt to the appointments, citing political bias.
The PID: Fulfilling political agendas
An update to the High Court of Justice has revealed the devious way in which the new search committee was constructed to select two heads of the PID (Police Investigation Department) — the director and the head of investigations. The Attorney General has joined the petitioners in calling for a block on these appointments, arguing that sensitive and powerful positions should not be filled during an election period, as they would tie the hands of the next government, particularly given the clear political coloring of the expected appointments.
The search committee includes five members, two of whom are representatives of Justice Minister Yariv Levin: the committee chairman Itamar Donnenfeld, the ministry's director-general, and Avi Amiram, a criminal lawyer. The third member is Civil Service Commissioner Doron Cohen or his representative. The fourth is a criminal law expert appointed by Commissioner Cohen in consultation with Donnenfeld, and only the fifth is not from the government side — a retired judge appointed by the chairman of the State Control Committee, who represents the opposition.
The details provided to the High Court undermine the claim that the minister lacks a majority. Donnenfeld effectively dictated the identity of the fourth member to the Commissioner, providing all necessary documentation. Commissioner Cohen subsequently approved the candidate. Consequently, Levin holds a majority, and potentially four out of five votes, ensuring he can steer the PID toward his objectives, including the potential prosecution of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
It's the coup, stupid
Recent polling from "Ulpan Shishi" revealed two striking figures. First, the loss of mandates currently distancing Likud from power is attributed by voters to the judicial coup, rather than the October 7 massacre. Yariv Levin's obsession with dismantling the judicial system—including boycotting the President of the Supreme Court, defying rulings, and attempting to oust the Attorney General—is central to this decline.
Secondly, Likud voters appear to view Yariv Levin as too "soft," preferring Tali Gottlieb, who leads the ranking of Likud MKs and ministers among the party's base. It is a paradoxical situation: the party is losing power due to the "D-9 bulldozer" Levin has deployed against the judiciary, yet the base seems to crave an even more powerful turbo-bulldozer in the form of Gottlieb.
