Minister Erdan
Erdan 'not alright' with Netanyahu's remarks on police recommendations
Public security minister says Netanyahu's verbal assault on the police for investigating him was partially justified, but 'I don’t like how they can be interpreted;' former police chief accuses Netanyahu of 'undermining public confidence in police.'
Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments Tuesday night against the police and possible indictment recommendations that could be made against him in a string of corruption investigations were partially justified, but “I am not alright with all the statements or their style or the way that they can be interpreted.”
Addressing the Knesset plenum, Erdan was responding to a question put to him by MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) that was unrelated to the matter.
“I have supported the Israel Police since the day I entered the job. I will say on every platform I am on that I think the police does its job. It is its job and I don’t question its role,” Erdan said.
Minister Erdan (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
His comments come on the heels of a speech made by Netanyahu during a Likud rally celebrating the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, where he scorned the investigations as “a waste of time and money” and dismissed as insignificant the potential eventuality of any indictment recommendations made by the police. “So there will be recommendations. So what?” Netanyahu said to the crowd of cheering supporters in Kfar Maccabiah.
“Some of the things he said are justified and he has to explain them in more detail to the public. But I am not alright with all the statements … though the issue is more complicated than what you,” he said answering Stern, “are trying to present.”
“By the way, in the investigation, in which the authority rests with the attorney general according to the law, the government has no authority and there are no recommendations—there is a conclusion of an investigation. That is why, as I said, the subject is more complex and I will certainly talk about it in the coming days,” he promised.
During the plenary session, the Knesset discussed a bill promoted by the opposition forcing the prime minister to resign thirty days after the serving of an indictment against him.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) said that lessons had to be learned from the example of President Reuven Rivlin, who was also investigated in 2001 before the case was ultimately dropped.
“We can all agree that when an indictment is issued against a minister, he (should—ed) step aside. (Though,) we need to remember the lessons of the story of Reuven Rivlin who was investigated once and the case against him was open for more than three years. We have to learn this lesson, us (in the government) as well, that we should not keep quiet about these kind of offences," Shaked said.
Former police commissioner Assaf Hefetz also commented on Netanyahu’s remarks in an interview with Ynet.
“He is doing the worst thing that can be done—he is undermining public confidence in the police. The police cannot work and operate in a democratic state when there is no public trust,” Hefetz said.
Assaf Hefetz and PM Netanyahu (Photo: Dana Kopel and Photo: Yonatan Zindel/Flash 90)
“I said long ago that he had to resign a long time ago because of the plethora of evidence and given the fact that he admits that he received gifts,” Hefetz added. “I have no doubt that in the end there will be an indictment, either about bribery or not bribery. I don’t know. But I expected a long time ago that he would resign and not drag the system and get us into this kind of situation.”
Responding to the claims by Netanyahu that “the majority of the recommendations made by the police are thrown to the garbage,” Hefetz said: “That is nonsense. It is simply not true. The majority of police recommendations go to cases, to indictments, whether to the prosecution or to the State Prosecutor's Office.
“There is no doubt that police officials, who are professional people—the moment they decide there is a load of evidence, there is a load of evidence.”
Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that he had no heard the speech but had read reports about it.
“I’m not an expert on manners. There is a lot of truth in the substance of his words. I conducted a thorough examination of the State Prosecutor's Office and on a factual level the prime minister is almost completely right,” Bennett said.
