Army Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch named new police commissioner

Public Security Minister Gilead Ardon’s unexpected decision Tuesday to select an outsider from the army,former division commander Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch, 51, as new police commissioner, has raised a storm of protest. High police officers passed over for the job threatened to resign and five former police commissioners voiced outraged objections. Hirsch commanded the Galilee Division in the 2006 Lebanon war, and most recently served as acting commander of the new IDF Depth Division. His appointment is still to be cleared by the civil service commission’s screening committee. The minister explained his choice by the police force’s low popular standing and the need for an objective leader from an outside organization to conduct the necessary overhaul.