It seems that, at least for now, Itamar Ben Gvir will not get his wish of separating the Border Patrol from the Police Department in a move that would have created a third military force some have likened to a National Guard.

After a series of informal meetings, and even a Bat Mitzvah event, the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir,  officially met Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai in his office in Jerusalem. During the meeting, the Commissioner spoke about the goals of the police in the short and long term, including the continuation of the struggle against crime and violence in Arab-Israeli society. 

According to reports, during the meeting the issue of separating the Border Patrol units from the National Police forces and making it an independent body, as appeared in the coalition agreements between Otzma Yehudit and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was brought up. It was determined that the policy reform Ben Gvir campaigned so heavily on, should be discussed responsibly and thoroughly with all ranking police officers. According to a joint statement published by senior police officers, "It is hard to believe the border patrol will be separated from the police. The cooperation works great today."

This should be an interesting watch over the next few weeks!

Incoming far right-wing minister, Ben Gvir, preparing to take control of Israel Border Police | All Israel News https://t.co/OaDAKxZurE

— Gareth & jem Cahoon Speaks (@jennifercahoon) December 30, 2022

Currently, border patrol officers (The “Magav” unit in Hebrew, an acronym for Mishmar HaGvul which translates to 'Border Guard') are an integral part of the police's command and its decision-making process. Many Magav officers eventually move to serve in the blue-uniformed police units as they are promoted to higher-ranking positions. In fact,  the current police commissioner himself was the commander of the Magav unit before being appointed police commissioner.

Splitting up the joint organization, with each body running independently, would severely impact the chain of command in all police units and require an adjustment period. If Ben Gvir gets what he wants some say it will cause constant friction while completely disorganizing the current joint strategies and daily activities.

Two days ago on December 28, 2022, Netanyahu's new government passed a law giving the new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, broad political control over the police who control the Temple Mount.

— Richies Place (@lastdays58) December 30, 2022

The conversation also brought up other topics about the ongoing activities of the police, after a stormy month of headlines surrounding Ben Gvir’s entry into a ministerial office. Ben Gvir’s aides and party members refused to comment on the content of the conversation with Shabtai, only contenting themselves with the statement that "the minister listened to the Commissioner and seek to learn". 

Those who oppose Ben Gvir’s attempts also claim that by splitting the police into two, he will further his agenda of fighting Palestinian autonomy in Judea and Samaria, while using the border patrol troops as combatant militia to complete the job. Some also fear crime-riddled Arab-Israeli villages will suffer due to the lack of current police cooperation.