A storm is brewing inside Israel Police’s Investigations and Intelligence Division (Lahav 433), with internal sources leveling harsh criticism at division chief Commander Boaz Belet. Officers claim he’s undermining the division’s operational work and preventing professional staff from doing their jobs.
At the center of the controversy is Superintendent Udi Ronen, who heads the incitement investigation unit. According to police sources, Ronen has been blocked from accessing police systems he needs to do his job for about two months. At the same time, some claim Belet and his close associates are behind media leaks targeting Ronen.
Ronen was appointed by Police Commissioner Danny Levy and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and tried to carry out his professional duties but ran into obstacles from the division chief, according to the sources.
Sources in Lahav 433 told Channel 14 that “the head of Lahav 433, whose entire job and purpose is fighting crime, has been busy since taking office with trivial matters and issues outside his area of responsibility. More than once, during senior command meetings, district commanders point out that he’s disconnected from the field, but he continues on his way.”
According to them, the current conduct deviates from what’s been standard in the division, where past Lahav 433 chiefs focused on advancing investigative and intelligence operations. “Every Lahav 433 chief led an organized plan to advance the division,” they noted, “but in this case, the focus is almost exclusively on matters that aren’t at the core of the work.”
They added: “The previous Lahav 433 chief, retired Commander Yigal Ben Shalom, never dealt with politics and nonsense but only with Lahav 433, which can’t be said about Belet, whose name is in the headlines and apparently he likes it.”
Police said: “No comment.”