Deputy Israel Police Commissioner and interim police chief Avshalom Peled told far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday that he was withdrawing his candidacy to run the force.

In a statement, Peled thanked the far-right minister for giving him his confidence, but that after being invited to multiple hearings at the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, he said it would be best to pull his candidacy.

“This decision is not easy for me, but after consultations and deep consideration, I concluded that this is the correct and appropriate step for me and for the organization under the circumstances,” he said, adding that he would continue to serve in the force.

Peled was a controversial choice for chief of police after he was investigated for bribery in 2015. The case was eventually closed, but the Department of Internal Police Investigations recommended not promoting him. He was promoted regardless.

“From the first moment, the attorney-general and the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee were against Deputy Commissioner Peled because Minister Ben Gvir chose him,” Ben Gvir said in a statement on Monday after Peled withdrew his candidacy, according to Channel 12.

“Deputy Commissioner Peled is squeaky clean and has never been accused of anything throughout his roles in the police. This is a direct assassination of a police commissioner candidate by a bureaucrat who wasn’t voted for by anyone and has been working to limit me since my first day on the job,” he added.

After conducting an inquiry into Peled, Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara concluded that he was not as unimpeachable as Ben Gvir claimed, and she handed down an opinion to the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee raising concerns over what she saw as questionable conduct by Peled in the past.

Critics of Ben Gvir were suspicious of Peled’s nomination, with the minister seeking to exert greater control over police and his overt displeasure when the former police chief, Kobi Shabtai, would sometimes challenge him on policy matters.

Peled was not a popular choice for commissioner within the force, and some high-ranking police officials told media anonymously that they believed he would simply carry out Ben Gvir’s wishes.

Following Peled’s withdrawal, Ben Gvir announced his new candidate would be Coastal District commander Deputy Commissioner Daniel Levy.

Levy joined the force in 1985 and has served in a variety of commanding posts throughout the Israel Police in the four decades since.

Peled will continue to serve as interim police chief pending Levy’s formal appointment by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee and the government.