US says establishment of Ben-Gvir's 'National Guard' insane
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Israeli media says the United States described the establishment of far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's "National Guard" as an insane step.
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Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir talks to reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in occupied Al-Quds, March 19, 2023 (AP)
US officials said behind closed doors that the establishment of a "National Guard" to be subordinate to Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was an "insane" step, Israeli media said Thursday.
The Israeli occupation has been trying since Wednesday to understand the disparity found between US President Joe Biden's stern statement, in which he said he would not invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, and that of the US ambassador to "Israel", Tom Nides, when he said the invite would take place soon, Israeli Channel 12 political affairs correspondent Yaron Avraham said, noting that it was still unclear.
"What can be said is that the Americans, in addition to their dissatisfaction with the judicial reform plan, are also dissatisfied with the dismissal of Security Minister Yoav Gallant," he explained.
Furthermore, he said Washington was dissatisfied with the establishment of the "National Guard" as a militia that will be ordered around by Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, as Avraham noted that the Americans described the decision as "crazy" behind closed doors.
"Netanyahu is now holding a meeting with Ben-Gvir and ministers from his Likud party to discuss developments," Israeli media said Monday, highlighting that "Netanyahu pledged to Ben-Gvir that the cabinet would approve the establishment of a National Guard as a subordinate to the Police Ministry."
Furthermore, Ben-Gvir underlined Monday that he agreed with Netanyahu to suspend the judicial reform in exchange for a pledge to greenlight the "National Guard".
Read more: Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir reach deal on judicial reform postponement
The announcement came after Israeli media reported that Ben-Gvir threatened to withdraw from the government in light of internal clashes, which compromised the ruling far-right coalition.
Furthermore, Netanyahu's office announced in a brief statement that the Prime Minister has decided to sack Gallant. However, the Times of Israel noted that "it is unclear what new position he will be given, if any."
This comes as US President Joe Biden sent a personal and confidential message to Netanyahu asking him to put an end to the judicial reform plans and try to find a middle ground, the Israeli Walla! website said Wednesday.
The Israeli news site, citing two informed sources, said the letter came in the wake of the dismissal of Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu's decision to postpone the controversial bill that brought the Israeli occupation to a grinding halt.
The confidential message that Biden conveyed to Netanyahu shows that the US president directly interfered in the pressure campaign that the White House ran on the issue in public and private in order to persuade the premier to stop the legislation dead in its tracks.
Walla! said Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Gallant on Sunday shocked the White House, triggering a series of urgent consultations among President Biden's advisors regarding a possible response from Washington, a senior Biden administration official said.
According to one of the sources, one of the ideas put forward in those consultations was to cancel Netanyahu's participation in the Summit for Democracy, which is taking place this week, in the event that he does not stop the amendment.
The US position came after Netanyahu agreed to postpone the judicial overhaul bid that his cabinet was pushing for months, deciding Monday to suspend his cabinet's plans to reform the judiciary, though he stressed that "we will never give it up."
The White House a day earlier underlined that the United States was deeply concerned by events in "Israel" and "strongly urges" Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.
The straw that broke the camel's back
Commenting on the dismissal of the Israeli security minister, Avraham said a senior US source described Gallant's dismissal as "the straw that broke the camel's back."
Avraham explained that it showed that Netanyahu was not in control, saying it was the reason that the US ambassador to "Israel" conveyed a message from the US administration that President Biden expected Netanyahu to stop the legislation dead in its tracks.
He said that Gallant's dismissal and the establishment of a "National Guard" was a purely internal topic that succeeded to get the Americans involved in internal Israeli deliberations.
Netanyahu on Wednesday responded to Biden's remarks on the government's judicial overhaul plan, claiming that "Israel" does not take decisions "based on pressures from abroad."
"I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel. The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us," Netanyahu tweeted.
The occupation Prime Minister claimed that "Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends."
Moreover, Ben-Gvir claimed that the United States needed to understand that the Israeli occupation was "an independent country" and "not another star on the US flag."
The occupation Police Minister added that "it should be clear all over the world - the people here went to elections and they have their own desires."
