Ben Gvir calls for assassination of Palestinian leaders

At the opening of his Otzma Yehudit faction meeting today, extremist National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called for the assassination of Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank. He also demanded that Netanyahu take action if the UN recognised a Palestinian state.

Ben Gvir calls for ‘targeted eliminations of senior Authority figures’

In his speech, extremist Ben Gvir said:

Netanyahu needs to announce that Abu Mazin (Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority) has no immunity if they accelerate the recognition of this fabricated state. If the UN recognises this, Mr Prime Minister, I need to order targeted eliminations of senior Authority officials, who are terrorists in every sense of the word. And you, Mr Prime Minister, need to order the arrest of Abu Mazen. We have a cell ready for him in prison, to receive the same conditions as all the terrorists in the prisons. And I call on the Prime Minister to arrest Abu Mazen. I will take care of him.

According to Ben Gvir:

The so called Palestinian people, must not have a state. This people cannot rise…

Speech a ‘dangerous incitement’

The Presidency has released a statement saying it holds the Israeli government “fully responsible” for Ben Gvir’s remarks against President Abbas.

It has strongly condemned and rejected his speech, calling it a “dangerous incitement that encourages murder and constitutes a call for Israeli colonists to commit further terrorist acts against the Palestinian people, their land, and their holy sites”. The presidency has called on the US administration and the international community to act. It said they must pressure the ‘Israeli’ government to stop its “incitement campaign against the Palestinian people and their leadership”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said:

These statements (from Ben Gvir) reflect an official policy within the occupying state, one that replaces the rule of law with force, disregards international legitimacy, and relies on impunity…The State of Palestine affirms that such systematic incitement reveals a political mentality that rejects peace and threatens regional and international security.

Ben Gvir: an extremist government minister

Otzma Yehudit – the Jewish Power Party – is a far-right, ultra-nationalist and anti-Arab party, led by Ben Gvir. The party calls for West Bank annexation and for complete Israeli occupation rule between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It also wants ‘Israeli’ sovereignty over the Al Aqsa compound, supports settlement expansion, and the deportation of “Arab extremists”.

National Security Minister Ben-Gvir is an illegal extremist settler, living in the occupied West Bank. He is known for his extremist views and actions. He has numerous criminal convictions, including eight for offences related to racism, and has promoted racist ideologies against Arabs. Ben Gvir is also arming settlers, and calling for the execution of Palestinian prisoners.

The UN Security Council has tonight, November 17, approved the US resolution to authorise the creation of an international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza.

The ISF will work with the Israeli occupation and Egypt. Its supposed aim is to ensure humanitarian access, train and deploy a Palestinian police force, and secure borders. The ISF will also ensure the decommissioning of weapons held by Gaza’s resistance groups. Israeli occupation forces are required to fully withdraw from the Strip once the ISF takes control.

In light of that, it remains to be seen if extremist Netanyahu will listen to Ben Gvir’s call for him to act.

Featured image via screengrab