Yaakov "Kobi" Shabtai (; born November 11, 1964) is an Israeli police officer who served as the 19th Commissioner of

Israel Police The Israel Police (; ) is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism. It is under the jurisdiction o ...

from January 17, 2021 to July 17, 2024. He has previously served as the Commander of the

Border Police A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Guar ...

as a deputy commissioner.

Biography

Kobi Shabtai was born on November 11, 1964, in

Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, to Iraqi Jewish immigrants. He is married with three daughters, including one who serves as a patrol officer in the police and another who enlisted in the

Israel Border Police The Israel Border Police () is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav (), meaning border guard; its members are colloquially known as ''magavnikim ...

for her national service.

Career

Shabtai was enlisted in the 202nd Battalion of the

Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Paratroopers Brigade (, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim'') is an Israeli military airborne infantry brigade. It is a selective unit, which accepts new recruits following physical tryouts and interviews, and consists of volunteers. It forms a m ...

in 1982. He was discharged in 1987 at the end of his service at the rank of 'Seren' (Captain). Shabtai joined the

in 1991. In July 2020, Shabtai was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Commissioner of Israel Police

Shabtai was appointed Commissioner of Israel Police on January 17, 2021, succeeding Motti Cohen. On 25 April 2021, Shabtai ordered the removal of barricades preventing access to the

Damascus Gate The Damascus Gate is one of the main Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located in the wall on the city's northwest side and connects to a highway leading out to Nablus, which in the Hebrew Bible was called Shechem or Sichem, and from the ...

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the portion of Jerusalem that was Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, held by Jordan after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Captured and occupied in 1967, th ...

after violent protests. Following the 2021 Mount Meron crowd crush, in which 45 men and children died, Shabtai said "My conscience is clear; I’m not going to resign", and added that he would not allow the police to be scapegoated for the incident. In 2024, a state commission of inquiry found him personally responsible for the incident. The committee said that the findings would have led it to recommend his removal from office, but since his term was extended because of the war in Gaza, it would leave the decision to the government. In a leaked recording of a conversation with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Shabtai said "There's nothing we can do. They murder each other. It’s in their nature. That’s the mentality of the Arabs", resulting in leading Israeli Arab politicians calling for his dismissal for anti-Arab racism. On 25 June 2023, Ben-Gvir announced that Shabtai's position as the head of the Israel Police would not be extended after the end of his term in January 2024. This announcement was the result of dispute between Gvir and Shabtai. The outbreak of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

on October 7, 2023 resulted in the opposition party National Unity joining the thirty-seventh government led by

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

to form a

national unity government A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other na ...

and the Israeli war cabinet .The new government decided that the tenures of outgoing Israeli officials would be extended in view of the prevailing situation in Israel. In December 2023, Gvir refused to extend the tenure of

Israel Prison Service The Israel Prison Service (, ''Sherut Batei HaSohar'', , ''Idārat al-Sujūn al-Isrā’īlīyyah''), known in Israel by its acronym Shabas () or IPS in English, is the state (polity), state agency responsible for overseeing prisons in Israel. It ...

Commissioner

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and said that the extension of Shabtai's tenure was also in doubt. However, in January 2024 Shabtai was ultimately asked to continue in his position as the commissioner of Israel Police until 17 July 2024. He was succeeded by Daniel Levi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shabtai, Kobi 1964 births Living people Israeli police chiefs Israeli Jews Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent People from Ashkelon