Because of Ben Gvir?: Drastic Drop in the Number of Muslim Recruits to the Police

Recruitment data obtained by Walla from the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police reveals a drastic decline in the number of Muslim recruits to the police during the four-year tenure of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. In 2025, only 96 Muslims enlisted, 0.26% of all recruits, compared to 135 in 2022. Ministry sources attribute the decline to the cancellation of affirmative action that allowed the recruitment of Arab candidates with lower psychometric scores and partial Hebrew proficiency.

Recruitment data obtained by Walla from the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police reveals a drastic decline in the number of Muslim recruits to the police during the four-year tenure of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. According to the data, in 2025, 3,294 new police officers were recruited, of whom only 96 were Muslims (0.26%) – a figure 70 times lower than their share of the population. For comparison, in 2022, 135 Muslims enlisted, in 2023 – 165, and in 2024 – 143. In the first half of 2026, 64 Muslims enlisted. Ministry of National Security sources explain the decline by a directive issued by Ben Gvir, requiring all recruitment candidates to meet the same minimum threshold conditions of a psychometric score (usually 4 out of 9) and Hebrew language proficiency. This means the cancellation of the affirmative action that was in place before he took office, which allowed the acceptance of Arab candidates with lower psychometric scores and partial Hebrew proficiency. The decline in Muslim recruitment occurs against the backdrop of rising violence in the Arab sector, the cancellation of dedicated budgets, and radicalization in Israeli society. Ben Gvir's office responded: "Even when the number of recruited officers increased significantly and thousands of new officers were added, the media has criticism. You will keep talking and we will keep working."