Official National Security Ministry figures revealed by Walla show a sharp downward trend in the enlistment of Muslim and Arab citizens in the Israel Police.
According to the figures that were published, over the past four years, during which Otzma Yehudit Chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir has served as National Security Minister, there has been a substantial drop in the number of Arab enlistees (not including the Druze community), and the general number of Muslim police officers remains very low.
The figures from 2025 show that the total manpower in the Israel Police was 36,856 police officers. During the year, 3,294 new officers enlisted in the force.
However, breaking down the numbers, 96 recruits were Muslim, two were Bedouin, and 12 were Arab Christians. These figures reflect a rate of only 0.26% of Muslim, Bedouin, and Christian Arab recruits of the total recruits that year.
Officials at the National Security Ministry attribute the trend to a change in vetting policy. According to the officials, the decline in the number of Muslim recruits stems from a directive requiring all candidates for enlistment to meet the same minimum threshold conditions, which include a psychotechnical score (usually 4 out of 9) and demonstrated knowledge of the Hebrew language.