Kobi Yaakobi

Kobi Yaakobi
קובי יעקבי
Chief Commissioner of theIsrael Prison Service
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 January 2024
Preceded byKaty Perry
Personal details
Born1973 (age 52–53)

Kobi Yaakobi (Hebrew: קובי יעקבי; born 1973) is an Israeli prison officer. He is currently serving as the 19th Chief Commissioner of the Israel Prison Service. Prior to his appointment in January 2024, he served as the security secretary to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.[1][2]

Early life

Yaakobi holds a bachelor's degree in humanities and social sciences, with a specialization in criminology, and a master's degree in criminology with honors from the Hebrew University.[3][4] He completed his Israel Defense Forces (IDF) service with the Golani Brigade. He then joined the Israeli Police and served in various positions. These included roles as an officer in the Zion region, deputy Commander of the Harel Station and the Shalem Station, Assistant Head of the Traffic Division, and Senior Advisor to the Director General of the Ministry of National Security.[2]

In 2017, Yaakobi was appointed Head of Operations at the Operations Headquarters of the Ministry of National Security. He was appointed Commander of the Moriah Station in the Jerusalem District in 2020.[2] In 2022, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed commander of the Zion Region. In 2023, he was appointed security secretary to the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and was promoted to the rank of colonel 3 months later.[4][2]

Balfour Protests

Yaakobi was responsible for the Israeli government's response during the Balfour Protests against Prime Minister Netanyahu.[2] The protests, held weekly near the Prime Minister’s Residence in Balfour Street in Jerusalem, saw some violent clashes between the police and protesters, the police were accused of using disproportionate force against protesters. Yaakobi defended the police actions, even defending his chief superintendent, Niso Guetta, after he was filmed beating a protester.[5][6] He also took responsibility for two key arrests at the protest, those of retired air force brigadier general Haskel and drag performer Ze’ev Engelmayer.[6]

Commissioner of the Israel Prison Service

In December 2023, National Security Minister Ben Gvir nominated Yaakobi as an interim replacement for Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Katy Perry. The appointment was approved on 14 January 2024.[1] Yakoobi took office on the 24 and announced a set of changes to deal with the overcrowding issue in Israeli prisons.[7] He also promised to enforce harsher conditions for "Security prisoners" and reportedly asked prison officials to improve conditions for Jewish inmates suspected of terrorist activity.[8][9]

In April 2024,the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Gisha human rights group, filed a petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice accusing Yaakobi and Ben Gvir of subjecting prisoners to extreme hunger and poor food quality.[10] These allegations were later cited in an 18-page report issued on 18 June 2024 by DAWN, an advocacy organization for US policy in the Middle East. The report accused Yaakobi, Ben Gvir, and two other officials of human rights violations in Israeli prisons, including restrictions on religious freedom, access to water, medical neglect, and beatings.[11] On September 9, 2025 The High Court of Justice ruled that the state has failed its obligations to feed Palestinian prisoners adequately and ordered them to provide the required nutritional needs of prisoners.[12]

As part of the January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, hundreds of Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli prisons. Yaakobi oversaw the controversial decision to have the released detainees wear T-shirts bearing the phrase "we will not forget or forgive” in Arabic.[13][14]

Corruption investigation

On 2 December 2024, Yaakobi was detained and held for 12 hours of questioning as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and the leaking of confidential files to Ben Gvir.[15] Later, details emerged suggesting Yaakobi was suspected of obstruction of justice for allegedly informing West Bank Police Commander Moalem about an investigation against him concerning leniency toward settler violence. Yaakobi was also suspected of requesting the deletion of Telegram messages by police officers.[16][17] Yaakobi has maintained his innocence and indicated he would resign from his post if he was indicted.[18]

References

  1. ^ abStaff, ToI; Sharon, Jeremy (14 January 2024). "After spat, cabinet okays Ben Gvir's pick for new interim head of Prison Service". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  2. ^ abcde"יעקב (קובי) יעקובי". 3 July 2024.
  3. ^בלוך, אברהם (15 January 2023). "מהפגנות בלפור: זה המזכיר החדש של איתמר בן גביר". חדשות סרוגים (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  4. ^ abתורג'מן, מאיר (30 April 2023). "אחרי שלושה חודשים בתפקיד: המזכיר הביטחוני של בן גביר יועלה לדרגת ניצב". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  5. ^Staff, ToI (16 January 2023). "Ben Gvir appoints officer in charge of policing anti-Netanyahu protests to top post". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  6. ^ abBreiner, Josh. "How Ben-Gvir's buddy at the prison service became Israel's 'real police commissioner'". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  7. ^"New report shows disturbing conditions inside Israel's prisons | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  8. ^Breiner, Josh. "Acting prison service chief's first steps: Harsher conditions for Palestinian terrorists". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  9. ^Michaelson, Ruth; Taha, Sufian; Kierszenbaum, Quique (18 May 2024). "Israeli abuse of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti 'amounts to torture'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  10. ^Sharon, Jeremy; Staff, ToI (19 December 2024). "High Court scraps with Ben Gvir as state ordered to answer prisoner starvation claim". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  11. ^DAWN (18 June 2025). "Sanction Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir and Other Officials for Severe Abuses Against Palestinian Prisoners". DAWN. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  12. ^Sharon, Jeremy (7 September 2025). "High Court rules state not giving Palestinian prisoners enough food, in slap to Ben Gvir". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  13. ^Staff, Al Jazeera. "Palestinians burn 'humiliating' shirts after release from Israeli prisons". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  14. ^Levy, Gideon (16 February 2025). "If Anyone Should 'Not Forget nor Forgive,' It's the Palestinians".
  15. ^Koningsveld, Akiva Van (3 December 2024). "Israel Prison Service chief, senior police officers detained in corruption probe". JNS.org. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  16. ^Edit (24 December 2024). "Prisons chief Yaakobi arrives for further questioning in case linked to Ben Gvir". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  17. ^"Itamar Ben-Gvir says Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar should be jailed | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  18. ^Summers, Charlie (13 July 2025). "Israel Prisons chief indicates he will resign if indicted for obstructing covert probe". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kobi_Yaakobi&oldid=1334273975"