# Netanyahu and the Tel Aviv police chief

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Netanyahu and the Tel Aviv police chief," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/netanyahu-and-the-tel-aviv-police-chief/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*The July 2023 dismissal of Tel Aviv's police chief, which John Kiriakou identified as the moment Benjamin Netanyahu may have overstepped, arguing that the real threat to the Israeli prime minister came not from the Palestinians but from his own attempt to take over the court system, and from the strikes and demonstrations that had not subsided.*

- **When:** July 2023
- **Reason given by Kiriakou:** He did not support Likud's takeover of the courts
- **Kiriakou's description of him:** Wildly popular, seen as a moderate
- **The threat to Netanyahu:** Judicial takeover, not the Palestinians

**Netanyahu and the Tel Aviv police chief** refers to the July 2023 firing of Tel Aviv's police chief, which [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) read as the visible edge of the only fight he thought could bring down the Israeli government.

## Where the threat comes from

Asked about Israel's trajectory under what he called the most right-wing extremist government in the country's history, Kiriakou named the danger to [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/benjamin-netanyahu) precisely: *"the only real threat to Netanyahu has nothing to do with the Palestinians. The threat is this takeover of the court system."*[1]

The dismissal was his evidence. *"Yesterday, Netanyahu fired the chief of police of Tel Aviv. This guy is wildly popular and is seen as a moderate. And the reason why he was fired is he does not support Likud's takeover of the courts."*[1]

## The miscalculation

Kiriakou credited Netanyahu's political instincts, *"Netanyahu is a great politician. He can really read a crowd"*, and traced the delay of the judicial overhaul the previous April to a bet that the national strikes, which included police and members of the military, would subside.[2]

The bet failed. *"They haven't subsided. They've come roaring back. We saw a massive demonstration in Tel Aviv just a couple of days ago, a demonstration that was so big it actually shut down Ben Gurion Airport, the international airport."*[2]

His conclusion was conditional but pointed: *"on this issue of what he's calling judicial reform, Netanyahu may have overstepped. If there's anything that maybe possibly might could take down the government, it would be that."*[2]

## The ministers he names

Kiriakou set the government's character against the possibility of peace, naming Itamar Ben Gvir as minister of national security and Bezalel Smotrich as finance minister with military authority over the West Bank, men he described as *"willing to commit war crimes,"* convicted of felony hate crimes against Palestinians and celebrating those who had committed crimes against humanity against them. *"There's no hope for peace."*[3]

## See also

- [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/benjamin-netanyahu)
- [The Israeli Electorate Shift](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-israeli-electorate-shift)
- [The Jenin Incursion](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-jenin-incursion)

## Sources

1. False Flags & Real Terrorists w/ John Kiriakou (2023-07-06), at 55:27. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vv7g6&t=3327s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-07-06-am-wakeup-false-flags-real-terrorists-w-john-kiriakou/
2. False Flags & Real Terrorists w/ John Kiriakou (2023-07-06), at 56:00. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vv7g6&t=3360s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-07-06-am-wakeup-false-flags-real-terrorists-w-john-kiriakou/
3. False Flags & Real Terrorists w/ John Kiriakou (2023-07-06), at 54:25. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vv7g6&t=3265s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-07-06-am-wakeup-false-flags-real-terrorists-w-john-kiriakou/

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