Israel's Ben-Gvir's push for a National Guard could give him own militia

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's plans for a National Guard under his command has its origins in the 2021 communal violence between Jews and Arabs, but the security establishment is not on board.
sraeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir (C) greets Israeli settlers dressed in Purim costumes as he walks in al-Shuhada street, largely closed to Palestinians, in the city centre of the flashpoint city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on March 7, 2023. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)
sraeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir (C) greets Israeli settlers dressed in Purim costumes as he walks in al-Shuhada street, largely closed to Palestinians, in the city centre of the flashpoint city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on March 7, 2023. - HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images
Mazal Mualem
Mazal Mualem
@mazalm3

TEL AVIV — Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is pressing ahead with his controversial plans to establish a National Guard corps under his command, despite opposition from some in the Israeli security establishment. Ben-Gvir wants to create the guard in order to quell any future violence against Jews from Israel's Arab community and establish a security force that he — and not his critics — would control. 

A campaign promise

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