The Turkel Commission on Thursday, 18 Tishrei, approved the appointment of Deputy ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) Director Roni Alshich as the next commissioner of Israel Police. Alshich, a shomer shabbos individual, was tapped for the post after Gal Hirsch withdrew his name due to the controversy surrounding his appointment.

As reported earlier, Alshich, 52, is a resident of Givat Shmuel and the father of seven. He is likely to resume his command of the nation’s police force in the next week to two. He attended Netiv Meir High School in Yerushalayim and graduated at the age of 16 after skipping two grades. He entered the IDF in 1981 and rose to the post of deputy battalion commander. He then moved to the ISA and rose to the rank of deputy director.

His name was selected by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and backed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Some are critical of the appointment, explaining he is still an outsider, not one who rose up through the ranks of Israel Police. They explain that while he may be outstanding in the security and intelligence areas, he will be lacking in many other areas including traffic enforcement and road safety. That said, he is not the first to assume the post of commissioner who is an ‘outsider’.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)