'No place in Israel for private militias': Gallant to Ben-Gvir

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
10 Aug 2023 21:42
1 Shares

The Israeli Security Minister warns Ben-Gvir that the establishment of a new security body will cause real problems and be a distraction for the security establishment.

Israeli Minister of Security Yoav Gallant delivers a statement to the press at the "Israel" Aerospace Industries (IAI) headquarters near the Ben Gurion airport in "Tel Aviv", on March 9, 2023 (AFP)

Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant sent a strong-worded letter to Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, denouncing his plan to establish what was described as a "national guard", Israeli media reported on Thursday.

In his letter, Gallant wrote to Ben-Gvir that "there is no place in Israel for private militias," according to the Israeli Channel 12.

"The establishment of a new security body will cause real problems and be a distraction for the security establishment," he warned.

Channel 12 mentioned that Ben-Gvir dismissed Gallant's criticism, advising him to focus on issues in his own ministry.

In late March, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir agreed to postpone judicial overhaul legislation. Back then, Israeli media reported that "Netanyahu pledged to Ben-Gvir that the cabinet would approve the establishment of a National Guard as a subordinate to the Police Ministry."

The media later revealed that behind closed doors, US officials said the establishment of a "National Guard" to be subordinate to Ben-Gvir was an "insane" step.

In early April, Israeli media reported that former Israeli occupation police chief Moshe Karadi considered that Ben-Gvir could potentially use his proposed "national guard" to carry out a coup against the Israeli government.

Karadi said Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be cautious of giving such power to the Police Minister, warning that Ben-Gvir "will use it against him one day."

Speaking at an event, the former police chief said Netanyahu "should learn a little bit of history and see what happens in countries in which politicians have their own armed forces."

"It’s a short distance between this and the fact that he, with this power, could take over the Prime Minister’s Office and launch a coup," he noted.

The former police chief also told the Israeli Channel 12 that the plan was a "recipe for disaster."

According to The Times of "Israel", Ben-Gvir has multiple times been engaged in the policing of the massive protests against the government's judicial overhaul legislation, including telling police which highways to keep open during the protests, discussing crowd dispersal methods, and visiting police command centers while demonstrations were taking place.

Another former police commissioner, Assaf Hefetz, told Channel 12 that Ben-Gvir’s plans should not be passed, because such a force should not be "under the responsibility of a politician."

"Two bodies can not operate on the same territorial unit," Hefetz said, warning that if the proposed "national guard" is not integrated into the occupation police, "there is a fear that it will be a militia, and that disqualifies it from serving as a police force that works under the law."