Yitzhak Aharonovich
Yitzhak AharonovichFlash 90

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich's management of his ministry is a "catastrophe," according to a senior official who spoke to Arutz Sheva on condition of anonymity.

The official reported that Aharonovich has not been able to successfully do his job, and that complaints against him have been piling up, not only from workers in Aharonovich's office but also from political sources.

The source turned to Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman to discuss the matter personally, but notes the foreign minister refused. "Liberman looks for 'yes men,' nothing more," the source said of the opposition to criticism.

Aharonovich, despite being appointed to an important task, has proven himself unable to deal with criminal and nationalistic violence, stated the source, adding "we see his lack of success in the violence in Israeli society and Arab terror in eastern Jerusalem."

Just this Tuesday Aharonovich apologized to the father of Shelly Dadon z''l, the 19-year-old resident of Afula who was murdered two weeks ago. The apology was for announcing on Monday that her murder might not be nationalistically motivated, despite earlier reports hinting the perpetrator escaped to a nearby Arab village after the murder.

Aharonovich's comments came as he toured the Israeli-Arab city of Umm el-Fahm, where alleged “price tag” vandalism attacks took place recently, a phenomenon he strongly denounced. His choice of venue for the statement could be seen as less than sensitive, since Dadon's grieving relatives have already pointed to the fact that politicians seem to be far more concerned with the “price tag” attacks, which involve no injuries, than with the savage murder of Shelly.

In apologizing to Shelly's father, Aharonovich claimed that his words were taken out of context. Aharonovich had said: "it cannot be determined with certainty that the murder was carried out from nationalistic motivation. All avenues of investigation are being checked."

Aharonovich's office responded to the recent accusations of incompetence, saying "we don't deal with anonymous statements made by those hiding behind hidden names. The Internal Security Minister will continue his many activities to advance internal security issues in the state of Israel, using discretion and many years of experience."

Likud MK and Knesset Deputy Speaker Moshe Feiglin in April was by no means anonymous in his call for Aharonovich to resign after a string of riots by Muslim extremists on the Temple Mount, which included a "Hamas takeover on the Temple Mount" over Passover.

Aharonovich was likewise criticized in January after calling for police investigations over celebrations by Jews over former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's death. In response, Attorneys Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Ben-Yosef offered their legal services free of charge to anyone arrested or tried over joyful comments at Sharon's passing.