The military police of the Israel Defense Forces (Hebrew: חיל המשטרה הצבאית, Heyl HaMishtara HaTzvait) is the Israeli military police. The military police serves the Manpower Directorate (Agaf Koah Adam) in the IDF, although it falls under a different command during an emergency situation (generally war). The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ×”×”×’× ×” לישראל â–¶ (help· info) ([Army] Force for the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces, comprising the Israeli army, Israeli air force and Israeli navy. ... Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 7 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... Military police (MPs) are the police of a military organization, generally concerning themselves with law enforcement and security. ...

The military police has attracted a negative image over the years due to it being responsible for putting many Israeli soldiers in jail for various misconduts, but this image is thought to be recovering, especially as of 2004 when the police started to check Palestinians at checkpoints (a position most Israelis consider vital for the state's security).

The military police is also known for having one of the strictest levels of discipline in the IDF. It is also one of the first corps to allow women to perform equal duties to men, and the first corps to have a combat-certified woman.

In the Israel Defense Forces, it is responsible for the following:

• Enforcing the discipline and proper image of Israeli soldiers, especially new military laws that come into being
• Guarding Israeli military prisons
• Guarding Israeli prisons with Palestinian prisoners
• Checking Palestinians for weapons and explosives at checkpoints

This responsibility was passed to the military police in 2004, before which it was taken up by other corps.

Training

In the Israeli Military Police, recruits must complete the Extended Rifleman 02 basic training, which is 6 weeks long, making it the second easiest basic training in the IDF. It is however the most difficult basic training that is considered non-combat (See also: Tironut). Recruits must also pass a test in law enforcement in order to finish basic training. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... Tironut is the Hebrew name for the recruit training of the Israel Defense Forces. ...

All military police recruits are trained in a base called Bahad 13 (Bsis Hadrakha 13, lit. Training Base 13), which is part of the larger Area 21 (a.k.a. Mota Gur Base). At the end of the training, recruits swear themselves in at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, which is considered extremely prestigious in the IDF. Those who finish basic training must take a course in order to be able to take up their respective positions, which usually takes place in Bahad 13 as well. Western Wall by night The Western Wall (Hebrew: הכותל המערבי HaKotel HaMaaravi), or simply The Kotel, is a retaining wall from the time of the Second Temple. ... Emblem of the Municipality of Jerusalem Jerusalem and the Old City. ...

After most courses, the soldier is given the rank of corporal (rabat), making military police one of the easiest corps to progress in (in terms of rank) as an enlisted soldier.

Insignia

The military police pin, called Chamatzon or Hamatzon

The Israeli Military Police wears a blue beret and its symbol is a flame. On the beret, the flame is surrounded with the a banner-like curve, which says Heyl HaMishtara HaTzva'it (military police force). This curve is also present on most military police shoulder symbols. The military police pin image consists of blue bricks and the letters Mem and Tzadik (Mishtara Tzva'it, i.e. Military Police). Image File history File links Hamatzon. ...

The shoulder insignia varies based on the soldier's position, although it is always on a blue and red background (See Shoulder insignia below).

The ceremonial dress of the Israeli Military Police is a regular uniform, with a white police hat, a brassard with the letters Mem and Tzadik on the left arm, and a white belt.

This dress is also worn on duty, mostly by MPs preforming discipline patrols in public places (train and bus stations, entrances to large bases, etc.), or by MPs in jails.

Most military policemen also wear a blue and red aiguillette, although some wear a green aiguillette (indicates a commander). The aiguillette is worn over the left shoulder, and attached to the left shirt pocket.

Training

The generic Israeli Military Police shoulder insignia

Recruits in the military police, as all IDF recruits, wear shoulder tags to indicate their platoon. There are two companies in each round of recruits - a male company (Pashatz - Plugat Shotrim Tzvai'im) and a female company (Plugat Shotrot). The males wear single-colored bands (red, yellow, green, black or blue), while the females wear dual-colored bands (e.g. red and white, blue and green). Image File history File linksMetadata Military_police. ...

The male company's symbol is a dragon, while that of the female company is a lioness' head. Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a mythological creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ...

As of 2006, the male and female recruits will form just one company, which will have a different name and symbol.

During professional training (course), soldiers wear dual-colored bands, depending on the course.

Shoulder insignia

Me'avhenim Bithoni'im shoulder insignia

Most units or bases in military police have their own shoulder insignia: Image File history File links Maavarim. ... Image File history File links Maavarim. ...

• Bahad 13 - a book with a sword and flame. This is worn by the personnel at the Bahad 13 base as well as all soldiers who take a professional course at Bahad 13.
• Me'avhenim Bithoni'im - an eye with two hands and a flame. This is worn by all personnel in the Me'avhenim Bithoni'im, a unit which checks Palestinians at Israeli checkpoints.

Units

The military police has a multitude of units, which carry out the responsibilities highlighted above.

• Law enforcement (Shitur) - responsible for enforcing the discipline and proper image of soldiers, and road patrols to insure proper driving by the IDF soldiers. Road patrols may include the use of state of the art speed measurment equipment, or simply checking the driver's license and authorized use of military vehicles.

Soldiers in this unit often wear a police hat instead of the standard blue beret.

• Jail instructors (Madrikhei Kluim or Madakim) - a unit of jailors in Israeli military prisons, they are responsible for instructing prisoners, making sure they don't escape, and rehabilitating as many as possible. Soldiers in this unit wear a green lace, as they are considered IDF commanders.
• Palestinan detainees jailors (Metaplei Atzurei HaShetahim or M. Atzhashim) - a unit of jailors who monitor Israeli jails with Palestinian prisoners. They are mostly responsible for making sure that the prisoners do not escape.
• Force 100 (Koah 100) - a combat unit responsible for suppressing uprisings by both Israeli and Palestinian prisoners. The unit consists of less than 100 soldiers and is used only in extreme cases of violence and prison rebellions.
• Criminal Investigations Division (Mishtara Tzvait Hokeret or Metzah) - a unit in the IDF responsible for all criminal investigations inside the IDF. The unit primarily deals with the use of drugs in the army, and theft of and dealing in army weapons. Other investigations include corruption, sexual harassment and assault, suicides, killings of civilian Palestinan population, and treason. The unit also deals with traffic accidents involving military vehicles. High profile investigations are done together with the Israel Police and the SHABAK.
• Security investigators (Me'avhenim Bithoni'im or Ma'ab, a.k.a. Ma'avarim) - a unit founded in 2004, it checks Palestinians at Israeli military checkpoints. It is currently expanding rapidly, with a new training base being built especially for it. It is considered a combat support unit with medium risk. It is considered a low-level unit inside the corps, but is much more respected by other corps.

Israeli Police logo The Israel Police (משטרת ישראל) is a civilian force in the State of Israel. ... Shabak emblem Defender who shall not be seen The Shabak (in Hebrew, שבכ ▶ (help· info)) an acronym of Shérūt ha-Bītāhōn ha-Klālī שירות ביטחון כללי) known in English as the Shin Bet (which was how the Shabak was known in Israel in its early days) or the...

Leadership

The Israeli Military Police is headed by a Brigadier-General called Kamtzar (Ktzin Mishtara Tzvait Rashi), lit. Head Military Police Officer. The Kamtzar and most of the other military police leadership operate in the Mekamtzar (Head Military Police Officer Headquarters). Brigadier General (sometimes known as a one-star general from the United States insignia) is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

List of Head Military Police Officers

• Lieutenant-Colonel Danny Magen (1948-50)
• Colonel Yosef Presman (1950-51)
• Colonel Baruch Yitzhar (1951-54)
• Colonel Tzvi-Shimon Shfir (1954-60)
• Major-General Raphael Verdi (1960-62)
• Colonel Israel Karmi (1962-71)
• Brigadier-General Zalman Verdi (1971-76)
• Brigadier-General Benjamin Inbar (1971-1977)
• Brigadier-General Baruch Arabel (1977-80)
• Brigadier-General Chaim Garnit (1980-82)
• Brigadier-General Meir Geva (1982-85)
• Brigadier-General Amir Elimelekh (1985-89)
• Brigadier-General Shalom Ben-Moshe (1989-91)
• Brigadier-General Moti Birn (1991-95)
• Brigadier-General Nir-Am Goldbroom (1995-98)
• Brigadier-General Yoram Tzachor (1998-2002)
• Brigadier-General Miki Bar'el (2002-05)
• Brigadier-General Ronny Benny (2005-)

Insignia of a United States Lieutenant Colonel Insignia of a British Army Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel (usually Lieutenant-Colonel in Britain) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and marine corps (and some air forces) of Commonwealth countries and the United States superior to Major and subordinate to... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

External links

• Military police website (Hebrew)