In order to implement this, Israel’s government also supports the arming of radical settlers. A few days after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, Security Minister Ben-Gvir announced that his ministry had purchased 10,000 assault rifles to distribute to “civilian security teams.” Two weeks later, he was filmed handing out rifles to civilians in the West Bank. These weapons could not only further fuel violence in the West Bank, they are also a serious provocation to Israel’s Western partners.
Since Ben-Gvir has been in government, he has managed to weaken Israel’s otherwise strict gun laws. It is now much easier for civilians to acquire weapons. When a settler shot a Palestinian in the West Bank last August and was arrested for it, Ben-Gvir recommended that the shooter be awarded a “medal of honor.”
In December 2021, a video was made public showing Ben-Gvir himself threatening the Arab security guard of a parking garage in Tel Aviv with a gun because he had pointed out that his car was parked incorrectly. The minister later said that the security guard had threatened him, but he did not have a weapon. The public prosecutor’s office closed the investigation into the case last September. But this is just one prominent example of the spiral of violence that continues to spiral in Israel.
