Ben-Gvir says Jewish lives matter more than Arabs'
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Ben Gvir told an interviewer for Channel 12 that his rights and his wife's and children's rights come before Arab's right to movement.
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Itamar Ben-Gvir speaking to reporters in Al-Quds, occupied Palestine on March 19, 2023 (AP)
Israeli occupation Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir believes his and his family's rights to safe travel in the occupied West Bank are more essential than Arabs', downplaying a fatal run of killings in Arab villages.
During an interview with "Israel's" Channel 12 on Wednesday, Ben-Gvir referred to the West Bank by its Biblical name, citing that his right, "and my wife’s and my children’s right, to get around on the roads in Judea and Samaria is more important than the right to movement for Arabs."
Although the news comes as no surprise, Ben-Gvir has previously called on the Israeli government to launch a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank, adding that occupation forces must "eliminate terrorists" - in reference to Palestinians defending their lands.
He blatantly told Mohammad Magadli, the Arab journalist and interviewer of the channel, "Sorry Mohammad, But that’s the reality. That’s the truth. My right to life comes before their right to movement."
The event comes following a surge of recent resistance activities in the occupied West Bank against the occupation's brutal killings of Palestinians, prompting one Israeli minister to declare that the regime faces "an existential threat."
Ahmad Tibi of the Hadash-Ta’al party, denounced the statements, stating that "For the first time, an Israeli minister admits on air that Israel enforces an apartheid regime based on Jewish supremacy," on his X account.
Read next: 'Israel' should 'wipe out' Palestinian town of Huwara: Minister
Karine Elharrar, a lawmaker from the opposition Yesh Atid party and former minister of infrastructure, called Ben-Gvir the most "authentic representative of the most racist cabinet we’ve ever had."
Israeli soldiers conduct raids on West Bank communities almost daily under the guise of apprehending "wanted" Palestinians, according to the government. Typically, the raids result in violent assaults on Palestinians that are met with resistance.
A recent report by the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine shows that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territories this year has already exceeded the total death toll for the entirety of 2022.
Israeli forces fatally shot 13 Palestinians in the West Bank between July 25 and August 10, including three children, the report shows.
Over the past three days, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have arrested more than 100 Palestinians who, according to the Ministry, will inevitably be subjected to a variety of cruel and inhumane measures.
