Ben-Gvir expands gun licensing amid rising settler violence
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"Israel’s" Ben-Gvir has expanded gun licensing, further arming illegal settlers in the West Bank as critics warn of escalating violence, displacement, and illegal occupation.
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Far-right Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to journalists outside of the Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on November 7, 2022. (AP)
"Israel’s" far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has expanded his controversial gun licensing scheme, making another 100,000 Israelis eligible for private firearm permits.
Ben-Gvir’s office announced on Monday that settlers in five more illegal settlements, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malakhi, Gan Yavne, Megiddo, and Tel Mond, can now apply for permits. The extremist minister praised the move as proof of his security agenda.
"This reform has saved many lives and shown its effectiveness in the field. It is meant to give citizens the ability to protect themselves and their communities," Ben-Gvir said.
Since the policy was introduced after the war on Gaza broke out in late 2023, some 230,000 new licenses have been issued, including to armed illegal settlers in the West Bank.
The Ben-Gvir gun licensing expansion has sparked growing alarm inside "Israel." Reports have documented deadly "mistakes" in which Israelis were shot by armed settlers who thought they were Palestinians. Media outlets have also criticized flaws in the vetting process, warning that permits were granted to unfit applicants.
Settlers attack Palestinian civilians
Late last month, on August 26, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in al-Mafqara, Masafer Yatta, south of al-Khalil, assaulting the Hamamda family and attempting to steal their sheep before residents and foreign activists intervened. Israeli occupation forces (IOF) later arrived, arresting a Palestinian youth and detaining two foreign activists. Several Palestinians were also injured when the IOF attacked citizens near Idhna, west of al-Khalil.
Elsewhere, IOF raided Araba near Jenin, storming homes and detaining young men, including liberated detainee Mohammad al-Aridah. In Beit Lahm, homes were raided in Tuqu’ and al-Asakreh, while at least seven Palestinians, including former prisoners, were detained in al-Khalil Governorate. Six more were arrested in Nablus.
In Deir Abu Mash’al, west of Ramallah, four Palestinians, including two children, were arrested during early morning raids. A broader dawn arrest campaign targeted multiple West Bank areas, with detentions reported in Aqabat Jaber camp near Areeha and in Araba, Jenin.
Illegal armed settlers target Palestinians
For years, Palestinians attacked by settlers have reported that licensed firearms are used to terrorize communities in the occupied West Bank, burning homes, driving families from their lands, and seizing property.
Since the start of "Israel’s" genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, violence in the West Bank has sharply escalated. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 1,016 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured by Israeli forces and illegal settlers.
Critics say the expansion of gun access to civilians and settlers reflects a wider trend of Israeli far-right policies, linking the Gaza war to increased repression in the West Bank. Settlement construction, home demolitions, and forced displacement have accelerated, paving the way for annexation and further eroding prospects for a two-state solution.
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark opinion declaring "Israel’s" occupation of Palestinian territory illegal. The ruling demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds, underscoring that the arming of settlers violates international law.
The latest expansion of Ben-Gvir’s gun licensing program adds to mounting concerns that "Israel’s" policies are entrenching occupation, fueling settler violence, and deepening the humanitarian crisis in both Gaza and the West Bank.
