Tel Aviv District Police Commander Ami Eshed announced his retirement on Wednesday during a press conference with Israeli media.
“In recent days, my political deposition has gained procedural validity under the guise of an unnecessary round of [police] appointments,” Eshed said.
“On March 9 of this year, while Tel Aviv was faced with a demonstration of thousands of people throughout the city, I was removed from my position on political grounds in a phone call.”
A ministerial skirmish amid a nationwide protest
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir and Eshed had clashed in March, when the minister tried to transfer Eshed and was stopped from doing so by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.
“Thirty-three years of service in uniform…I am at the finish line in running for the position of police commissioner, and [it] all went down the drain in one fell swoop. And all this, for one simple reason: I insisted that my officers act according to the law.”
Tel Aviv police commander Ami Eshel announces that he is stepping down from his position in a statement to Israeli press on July 5, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)Although it was never explicitly stated, Eshed’s comments on the situation indicate that in March, Ben-Gvir wanted him to instruct police officers to be particularly tough on protesters, and he refused. This is presumably what lead to the minister attempting to reassign the district commander.
A message to the Tel Aviv police officers
After Eshed was informed in March that he would be removed from his position, he went on national radio to address his officers while they were handling the demonstrations in Tel Aviv against the judicial reform.
“Policemen and officers of the Tel Aviv district,” he said, “we are going through a significant event of demonstrations in the district and have a significant national responsibility. I ask you not to listen to all the background noise, including that which is related to me personally, and to behave in a professional, serious and high-quality manner. The task is not over yet, [the work] continues until the very end.”
In late June, Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that Shabtai would leave his post in January 2024. During this announcement, they also said that Ami Eshed would become the commander of the police’s training division, and Peretz Amar would become the new Tel Aviv district commander.
Shabtai was the one to deliver the news of Eshed’s transferral before it was blocked in March, and Eshed reportedly responded to him saying he “destroyed the police.”
Eshed’s reason for leaving his position
Eshed continued his comments on Wednesday, addressing the explicit reasons for his retirement and their connection to the events of March 9:
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir seen at the entrance to the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, March 9, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)“With my back straight and my head held high, I pay an unbearable price for my choice to prevent a civil war. I admit to you all here a terrible sin: the sin of not being able to meet the ministers’ expectations, which included breaking the rules…and blatant interference in decision-making and operational discretion.”
“We could have evacuated [the Ayalon highway] in a few minutes,” he said, “at the terrible price of…crushing bones. At the price of shattering the trust between the police and the citizens of this country.”
“I insisted during the protest, time and time again, that the Tel Aviv district under my command would prove that is possible to allow a protest and set clear boundaries according to the law – and it must be done so.”
Man walks down the highway toward Ben-Gurion Airport as traffic is stopped during the judicial reform protests on March 9, 2023. (credit: BEN COHEN MEGAPHONE NEWS)Eshed concluded his statements with a message to his fellow commanders as well as his officers.
“I call on members of the command staff of the Israel Police to…adhere to the values of the organization and rise above the momentary personal considerations. Remember that a police officer is…a public servant and committed to the public.
“I send my support to the Tel Aviv district police who have proven every week for the past five months that it is possible to balance the demands of the law and civil rights, and in between to continue to fight terrorism and crime. I salute you.”
Ben-Gvir and Lapid comment on Eshed’s stepping down
Ben-Gvir responded to Eshed’s remarks on social media, saying: “The words of Ami Eshed tonight prove that a political commander served in uniform in the Israel Police. I wish him great success in his future as a candidate in the next elections in the Left-wing party.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also spoke out on Eshed’s retirement on Twitter, saying that, “for three decades [Eshed] served, under [various] prime ministers, ministers and commissioners [and nobody] called him a politician….I salute him and thank him on behalf of the people of Israel for the long nights he stayed awake so that the citizens could sleep peacefully.”
Lapid also addressed Ben-Gvir’s response to the situation, calling it a “national disgrace.”
The Israel Police were unavailable for comment on the issue.
Alon Hochman/Maariv and Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.
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