The first hearing in Police Superintendent Rinat Saban’s petition against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took place Sunday morning at the Jerusalem District Court.

The hearing involves Saban’s demand to force Ben-Gvir to grant her the rank of deputy commander. Saban, who serves as assistant head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division, seeks a promotion that Ben Gvir has refused to approve due to her controversial involvement in the affair involving searches of the phones of the prime minister’s advisers, as well as her low scores at police assessment centers.

Saban previously served as an investigator in the cases against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and testified in “Case 4000” during his trial. Her most recent promotion as assistant to the head of the Police Investigations and Intelligence Division was allegedly carried out through an irregular and improper procedure, Kan News reported in December.

Saban is being represented in the case by the leftist Movement for Quality Government organization and is backed by the prosecution and the protector all left-wing officials, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who claims that Ben Gvir’s refusal to sign off on Saban’s promotion is “improper political interference.”

The proceedings opened with an unexpected development when Judge David Gidoni disclosed that his wife, who previously worked at the State Attorney’s Office, had been involved in preparing the groundwork for search warrants in the phone intrusion case involving advisers Yonatan Urich and Ofer Golan. Judicial criticism of police conduct in that case forms one of Ben Gvir’s central justifications for delaying Sivan’s promotion.

Following the disclosure, Ben-Gvir’s attorney, Adv. David Peter, requested that the judge recuse himself over concerns of a conflict of interest. “Since the core of our argument concerns the conduct of the legal advisory system and the prosecution in an attempt to force the authority holder to make a decision,” he said, “we believe it would be appropriate for the court to disqualify itself.”

Judge Gidoni rejected the request outright, ruling that “there is no connection and no involvement, and I certainly have no personal interest.” Citing precedent, he added that “a concern over appearances alone is insufficient grounds for a judge to disqualify himself.”

Ben Gvir then detailed the professional reasons for his refusal to approve Sivan’s promotion, pointing first to the Supreme Court’s criticism—by a nine-justice panel—of Sivan’s conduct in the phone affair, as well as to her low evaluation score. “Why doesn’t she mention that I signed off on a rank for her husband, if she claims I am personally persecuting her?” the minister asked, in response to allegations of a personal vendetta.

Adv. Peter slammed the very fact that Saban is being represented by a public organization, calling it “a prohibited gift to a public servant.” He added that the petition seeks to strip the minister of his statutory authority over appointments. “It is inconceivable that the minister should serve as a rubber stamp while the legal advisory system finalizes appointments over his head,” he said. “In a democratic state, two bodies oversee the police: the court and the minister. Preventing the minister from addressing police recommendations undermines the system of checks and balances.”

At the outset of the hearing, Ben Gvir delivered a fiery address accusing the law enforcement system of acting in a forceful and political manner. “You all understand that what is happening here is mafia-style behavior,” he charged from the podium. “The attorney general and her envoys threatened me months ago that if I did not appoint this officer, it would end badly for me. They said, ‘If you don’t appoint her, we will make sure you’re fired,’ and now they are trying to follow through.”

Addressing Baharav-Miara directly, Ben Gvir declared, “I’m not afraid of you.” Turning to the court, he added, “Don’t be impressed by the campaign. They’re in hysterics just to appoint her. I am the minister of national security—no one appointed me to be a rubber stamp.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)