The Ministry of National Security (, ), formerly the Ministry of Internal Security and Ministry of Police, is a government agency of

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 ...

. The Ministry of National Security is the statewide law enforcement agency and oversees the

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 ...

, the

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 ...

and the Israel National Fire and Rescue Services,

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 ...

, National Headquarters for the Protection of Children on the Internet, National Authority for Community Safety and the Authority for Witness Protection. The position has been held by Itamar Ben-Gvir since March 2025.

History

The Minister of National Security (, ''Sar LeVitahon Leumi'') is the political head of the ministry. Until 1995 the position was known as Minister of Police (, ''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 Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...

became

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 ...

in 1977, but was reinstated in 1984 when

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...

was elected. In December 2022, the position was renamed again, changing from Minister of Public Security (, ''Sar LeVitahon Pnim'') to Minister of National Security. This move has been criticized as an unnecessary expense for taxpayers. 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.

Deputy ministers

Agencies

Border Guard 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 Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In diff ...

** Civil Guard *

Firearm Licensing Department A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see #Legal_definitions, legal definitions). The first f ...

* 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 An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...

in 2011) *

* Police & Prison Service Personnel Ombudsman

Unit for Public Inquiries and Complaints

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.

References

External links

Official website

Official website

All Ministers in the Ministry of Police (Internal Security)
Knesset website {{authority control

Public Security Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

*Ministry of Public Security

Law enforcement in Israel

1948 establishments in Israel