High Court Issues Emergency Freeze on Ben Gvir’s Police Monitoring Unit Amid Allegations of Illicit Citizen Surveillance

Israel’s High Court halts a new police incitement department amid reports of illicit social media tracking of citizens. Read the full judicial ruling.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 29, 2026, 11:34 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

Judicial Intervention Against Unchecked Surveillance

The High Court of Justice has intervened in a growing controversy surrounding the Israel Police's latest internal restructuring, issuing a temporary order to freeze a fledgling anti-incitement body. According to the ruling handed down by Justice Yechiel Kasher, the department’s practice of monitoring individuals on social media lacks the necessary legal framework and oversight. The court emphasized that in the absence of a specific suspicion that a criminal offense has been committed, the police are prohibited from conducting proactive digital surveillance without explicit authorization from the State Attorney’s Office.

Allegations of Targeted Personal Harassment

The judicial freeze follows a series of alarming reports concerning the internal conduct of the department's leadership. According to evidence presented by the Kan public broadcaster, Chief Superintendent Udi Ronen, who heads the unit, allegedly solicited his officers to provide names of individuals who "bother" them for the purpose of digital tracking. Internal messages revealed a directive to "send every name that comes to mind" to find "interesting ways to take them down," a strategy that petitioners argued turned a state security apparatus into a tool for personal and political retribution against ordinary civilians.

Political Origins of the Incitement Department

The controversial unit was established earlier this year under the direct auspices of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. According to administrative records, the Minister sought to transfer the responsibility for terror linked incitement cases away from the traditional investigations and intelligence division led by Deputy Commissioner Boaz Blatt. By creating a separate, more autonomous body, Ben Gvir aimed to streamline the prosecution of online speech, though critics have long warned that this bypasses the standard checks and balances designed to protect freedom of expression and privacy.