Court Freezes Transfer of Police Internal Affairs Out of State Prosecutors Oversight
Israel's Supreme Court President Itzhak Amit has temporarily blocked a law that would remove the Police Internal Investigations Department from state oversight.
Jerusalem, 23 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Supreme Court President Itzhak Amit on Sunday evening issued an interim order blocking efforts to implement a law removing the Police Internal Investigations Department (MAHASH) from the State Prosecutor’s Office by freezing all appointments that would be made under said law.
He argued that the move is unprecedented and would lead to the “politicization of the law enforcement system,” causing irreversible damage before the petitions challenging the law are decided.
The petitions were filed, among others, by the Movement for Quality Government, the Israel Bar Association, the Academy for a Democratic Israel, and dozens of retired police commissioners and senior police officers, who argue that the law undermines the independence of the Police Internal Investigations Department and places it under political control.
Supporters of the law argue that it is intended to boost the independence of the Police Internal Investigations Department and ensure effective oversight of the law enforcement authorities themselves.