Israeli Minister Ben Gvir Claims His Rights in West Bank Surpass Rights of Arabs, Sparking Apartheid Accusation
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked controversy during a Wednesday interview with Israel’s Channel 12, stating that his right to safe movement in the West Bank outweighed the rights of Arabs to free movement. Addressing recent Palestinian terror attacks, Ben Gvir placed blame on Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s policies, adding, “My right, and my wife’s and my children’s right, to get around on the roads in Judea and Samaria is more important than the right to movement for Arabs.”
Later in the interview, he seemed to backtrack and soften his claim a bit, telling Channel 12 journalist Mohammad Magadli not that his right to free movement within the disputed territory superseded the rights of Arab residents to free movement, but that the right to life took precedence: “That’s the reality. That’s the truth. My right to life comes before their right to movement,” he said.
Ahmad Tibi, an Arab member of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, accused Ben Gvir of admitting that Israel enforces an “apartheid regime based on Jewish supremacy.” Karine Elharrar, a member of Knesset from the Yesh Atid party, said Ben Gvir was the “authentic representative of the most racist, messianic and Kahanist government,” referring to the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, a fiery anti-Arab leader. Kahane’s Kach movement, in which Ben Gvir was a leading youth activist, was outlawed in Israel in 1994 for supporting terrorism.
Known for his hardline approach to the Palestinians and a history of anti-Arab sentiment, Ben Gvir further discussed the surge in violent crime in Arab Israeli communities. He expressed concern that the crime wave could evolve into a “security threat to the State of Israel” and potentially affect Jewish communities.
Ben Gvir has been a contentious figure in Israeli politics, having previously praised extremist settler violence and downplayed threats against Palestinians. His comments during the interview have triggered a significant backlash from several political figures.
