High Court Orders Levin to Explain Police Watchdog Appointment During Election

The High Court on Tuesday ordered Justice Minister Yariv Levin to clarify whether he intends to advance the appointment of a new director of the Department of Internal Police Investigations during the election period, and how the process would comply with restrictions on senior appointments by a caretaker government. Justices Isaac Amit, Noam Sohlberg and Daphne Barak-Erez issued the request after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told the court that the application deadline had again been extended, to August 16. The October 27 election is about two months later, and a selection committee must still review applicants. The court has previously held that caretaker governments should generally avoid senior appointments unless an essential public need exists.