Muslim police recruits decline sharply under National Security Minister Ben-Gvir

The number of Arab citizens, particularly Muslims and excluding Druze, joining the Israel Police has declined sharply during National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s four years in the position, according to police recruitment data obtained by Walla on Monday.

The decline comes despite an overall increase in police recruitment during the same period, according to data from the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police.

This decline in Arab recruitment comes as violence in these communities, during the four years that Ben-Gvir has served as national security minister, has continued to reach new highs almost daily.

The Arab sector in Israel makes up about 21% of the country’s population, with Muslims accounting for more than 18%. 

The figures indicate significant underrepresentation of a sector that makes up more than one-fifth of Israel’s population.

Officials in the Ministry of National Security attributed the decline to a directive issued by Ben-Gvir requiring all police candidates to meet the same minimum recruitment standards, including a Dapar score, a military aptitude rating, usually requiring a score of 4 out of 9, and knowledge of Hebrew.

According to ministry officials, an affirmative action policy introduced before Ben-Gvir took office was intended to increase Arab representation in the Israel Police and promote greater integration into the state. The policy allowed Arab candidates to be accepted even if their Dapar score was below the standard threshold or if they lacked Hebrew proficiency.

The officials said the policy was abolished after Ben-Gvir took over the ministry.

Police recruitment rises as Arab enlistment declines

According to police data, the Israel Police had 36,856 officers in 2025. That year, 3,294 new officers joined the force, including only 96 Muslims, two Bedouins and 12 Arab Christians.

This means that only 0.26% of police recruits in 2025 were Muslim, Bedouin or Arab Christian, a figure roughly 70 times lower than their share of the population.

The vast majority of new recruits joined the regular police force rather than the Border Police.

The Ministry of National Security has highlighted an increase in police recruitment over the past four years, attributing the rise to improved conditions for officers and a large-scale recruitment campaign on social media and other platforms.

The overall increase in recruitment has been driven by a rise in Jewish recruits, alongside a decline in the number of Arab recruits, excluding Druze, joining the police.

After a decline in Arab recruitment in 2019, and signs of recovery between 2020 and 2022, the trend has reversed again over the past four years.

According to police and Ministry of National Security data, 2,109 new officers joined the police in 2022, including 135 Muslims, six Bedouins and 48 Arab Christians.

In 2023, 2,778 new officers joined the force, including 165 Muslims, seven Bedouins and 59 Arab Christians.

In 2024, 3,814 new officers joined, including 143 Muslims, two Bedouins and 15 Arab Christians.

In 2025, 3,294 new officers joined, including 96 Muslims, two Bedouins and 12 Arab Christians.

During the first half of 2026, 2,276 people joined the police, indicating continued growth in overall recruitment. However, only 64 were Muslims, two were Bedouins, and seven were Arab Christians.

The figures do not include recruitment data from the Druze community, where enlistment rates are higher and have generally remained stable.

Ben-Gvir: 'You will continue talking, and we will continue working'

The shift in recruitment trends comes amid rising violence in Arab communities, as the government cancels dedicated budgets for the Arab sector and redirects funding toward other priorities and sectors. It also comes as Israeli society becomes increasingly polarized and calls against integrating Arabs into key state positions grow, particularly as elections approach.

Ben-Gvir’s office responded to the data by saying:

"Even when the number of recruited police officers has risen significantly, and thousands of new officers have been added, the media still has criticism. You will continue talking, and we will continue working."