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The Ministry of National Security (Hebrew: המשרד לביטחון לאומי, Arabic: وزارة الأمن القومي), formerly the Ministry of Internal Security and Ministry of Public Security, is a government agency of Israel.
| המשרד לביטחון לאומי | |
 Emblem of Israel | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1948 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Israel |
| Minister responsible | |
| Website | www |
The Ministry of National Security is the statewide law enforcement agency and oversees the Israel Police, the Israel Prison Service and the Israel National Fire and Rescue Services, Israel Border Police, National Headquarters for the Protection of Children on the Internet, National Authority for Community Safety and the Authority for Witness Protection.
The current Minister of National Security is Itamar Ben-Gvir.
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The Minister of National Security (Hebrew: שר לביטחון לאומי, Sar LeVitahon Leumi) is the political head of the ministry.
Until 1995 the position was known as Minister of Police (Hebrew: שר המשטרה, Sar HaMishtara). The first Minister of Police, Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit, a former policeman, held this position from May 1948 until a month before his death in January 1967. He served in fourteen governments, making him the country's longest continually serving minister.
The post was abolished after Menachem Begin became Prime Minister in 1977, but was reinstated in 1984 when Shimon Peres was elected.
In December 2022, the position was renamed again, changing from Minister of Public Security (Hebrew: שר לביטחון פנים, Sar LeVitahon Pnim) to Minister of National Security. This move has been criticized as an unnecessary expense for taxpayers.[1]
In February 2024, Ben-Gvir's appointment as minister was challenged but Israel's High Court of Justice turned down the petition to nullify this appointment.[2]
| # | Minister | Party | Government | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of Police | ||||||
| 1 | Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit | Sephardim & Oriental Communities Mapai Alignment | P, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | 14 May 1948 | 2 January 1967 | |
| 2 | Eliyahu Sasson | Alignment Labor Party Alignment | 13, 14 | 2 January 1967 | 15 December 1969 | |
| 3 | Shlomo Hillel | Alignment | 15, 16, 17 | 15 December 1969 | 20 June 1977 | |
| 4 | Haim Bar-Lev | Alignment | 21, 22, 23 | 13 September 1984 | 15 March 1990 | |
| 5 | Roni Milo | Likud | 24 | 11 June 1990 | 13 July 1992 | |
| 6 | Moshe Shahal | Labor Party | 25 | 13 July 1992 | 22 November 1995 | |
| Minister of Internal Security | ||||||
| – | Moshe Shahal | Labor Party | 26 | 22 November 1995 | 18 June 1996 | |
| 7 | Avigdor Kahalani | Third Way | 27 | 18 June 1996 | 6 July 1999 | |
| 8 | Shlomo Ben-Ami | One Israel | 28 | 6 July 1999 | 7 March 2001 | |
| 9 | Uzi Landau | Likud | 29 | 7 March 2001 | 28 February 2003 | |
| 10 | Tzachi Hanegbi | Likud | 30 | 28 February 2003 | 6 September 2004 | |
| 11 | Gideon Ezra | Likud Kadima | 30 | 6 September 2004 | 4 May 2006 | Initially appointed Acting Minister, with position made permanent on 29 November 2004 |
| 12 | Avi Dichter | Kadima | 31 | 4 May 2006 | 1 April 2009 | |
| 13 | Yitzhak Aharonovich | Yisrael Beiteinu | 32, 33 | 1 April 2009 | 14 May 2015 | |
| 14 | Yariv Levin | Likud | 34 | 14 May 2015 | 25 May 2015 | |
| 14 | Gilad Erdan | Likud | 34 | 25 May 2015 | 17 May 2020 | |
| 15 | Amir Ohana | Likud | 35 | 17 May 2020 | 13 June 2021 | |
| 16 | Omer Bar-Lev[3] | Labor Party | 36 | 13 June 2021 | 29 December 2022 | |
| Minister of National Security | ||||||
| 17 | Itamar Ben-Gvir | Otzma Yehudit | 37 | 29 December 2022 | ||
Deputy ministers
| # | Minister | Party | Government | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gideon Ezra | Likud | 29 | 7 March 2001 | 28 February 2003 |
| 2 | Yaakov Edri | Likud Kadima |
30 | 10 March 2003 | 18 January 2006 |
| 3 | Gadi Yevarkan | Likud | 35 | 17 May 2020 | 13 June 2021 |
| 4 | Yoav Segalovich | Yesh Atid | 36 | 13 June 2021 | 29 December 2022 |
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- Israel Police
- Firearm Licensing Department
- Israel Anti-Drug & Alcohol Authority (now the National Authority for Community Safety)
- Israel Witness Protection Authority
- Urban enforcement system
- National Headquarters for the Protection of Children on the Internet
- National Guard of Israel
- Israel Fire and Rescue Services (transferred from Ministry of Interior in 2011)
- Israel Prison Service
- Police & Prison Service Personnel Ombudsman
The Unit for Public Inquiries and Complaints operates under the aegis of the Internal Audit Division of the Ministry of Internal Security. It handles complaints from citizens against the Israel Police, Prison Service, National Fire and Rescue Authority, Authority for the War on Drugs and Alcohol and Division for Licensing and Inspection of Firearms. In accordance with the Internal Audit Law, the main duties of the division are to ensure that audited entities abide by the law and carry out their duties in an efficient, financially sound, corruption-free manner.
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