The Israeli cabinet on Sunday gave the green light to substantial financial reductions in various government departments to finance a questioned national guard headed by the extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that the new force would be dedicated to addressing “Arab unrest”, though political opponents accused him of instituting a sectarian “militia”.
A committee made up of representatives from all Israeli security services will debate the precise functions of the new national guard and submit their suggestions within 90 days, according to an announcement from Netanyahu’s office.
In a letter to Ben-Gvir, the Israeli police chief, Yaacov Shabtai, reportedly expressed his worries about the formation of the new militia.
The 2021 aggression against Palestinians in Jerusalem helped to elevate the political standing of Ben-Gvir, a Jewish settler from the occupied West Bank who has been found guilty of inciting violence against Palestinians and backing terrorism.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, harshly criticized the decision to reduce funding for health, education, and security in order to provide money to what he described as Itamar Ben-Gvir’s “personal militia”.
Yair Lapid tweeted that the government’s priorities are “ridiculous and despicable”, and that instead of upholding and protecting democracy, it is instead devoted to indulging in the delusions of the extreme few.
Some caution that Ben-Gvir might employ the approximately 2,000 of the new militia against anti-government protestors or the Palestinians.
On Sunday morning, Israeli occupation forces invaded Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to evacuate Palestinian worshipers.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=38444
