Police suspend Yoav Eliasi over recordings claiming influence with law enforcement officers

Yoav Eliasi, a right-wing activist and musician known as “The Shadow,” has been suspended from his role as commander of a Tel Aviv District rapid response squad by Israel Police Commissioner Inspector-General Danny Levy. This action follows a Haaretz report detailing recordings where Eliasi allegedly boasted about his connections with police officials and claimed influence in preventing the closure of an entertainment complex where he was a partner. In the recordings, Eliasi stated, “this club cannot be touched,” and referred to an officer, saying, “Menashe is a friend like a brother, I will speak with him now.” Following the suspension, Eliasi's firearm was confiscated, and the Police Internal Investigations Department initiated a review. Eliasi's attorneys, Ariel Atari and Yaniv Lankri, stated that Eliasi chose to “freeze his service, on his own initiative, until the examination is completed,” and expects to return to his position.