Report: Nearly 28% of Israeli Police Officers Have Resigned Since Ben-Gvir Took Office

A new report has found that roughly 28% of Israeli police officers have left the force since Itamar Ben-Gvir became national security minister, a period marked by growing strain on the country's law enforcement staffing.

According to the figures cited in the report, the police service is now grappling with a significant manpower shortage, with around 2,000 vacancies reported across various stations and divisions, including the traffic division.

The report does not detail the specific reasons cited by departing officers, though the scale of the resignations points to broader attrition pressures within the force during Ben-Gvir's tenure overseeing police policy. Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, has been a controversial figure in the role, with his management of the police drawing criticism from various quarters since he took office.

The vacancy figures raise questions about the police force's operational capacity, particularly in units such as traffic enforcement, which rely on adequate staffing to maintain regular duties. It remains unclear from the available information how the ministry or police leadership plans to address the shortfall, or whether recruitment efforts are underway to fill the reported vacancies.

Neither the police service nor the ministry offered a detailed response to the reported figures in the available information. The report adds to a broader public conversation in Israel about staffing and morale within security services during a demanding period for the country's law enforcement apparatus.