The first party to announce an almost final break with the Likud (finally closed on the positions but not yet on the budgets. KA), is Otzma Yehudit, led by MK Ben Gabir. This evening, Ben Gabir responded to Bezalel Smotrich’s attacks.
In an interview conducted with Ben Gvir this evening in Kaan News, he was asked about the report that Smotrich would not agree that the authority over the young settlement would remain in the hands of Ben Gvir.
Ben Gvir replied that the final agreement has not yet been signed, but he certainly received a commitment to accept the young settlement and sent a sting to the chairman of religious Zionism: “I don’t believe he said such a thing, after all our interests are the same interests.”
Later in the interview, he also responded to the attack on the left-wing activist in Hebron and said: “Anarchists curse and spit on soldiers, even in this incident. If the soldiers were attacked – then they should be supported. Did the Chief of Staff look into the incident and hear the claims of the soldiers who say they were attacked?”
In an interview that he also gave to News 12 this evening, he said: “The Ministry of Internal Security has a new name – “Ministry of National Security”. In all ministries, a minister sets the policies of the ministry, and only in the Ministry of Internal Security does the commissioner determine, and the minister is only a recommending factor. What is this, a banana republic? I want to establish a policy here and this is my first demand.
Ben Gvir was asked about the suspension of the soldier from Hebron who said “Ben Gvir will sort things out here” and responded: “It’s a shame you didn’t bring up the section before this, that an anarchist is pushing a soldier. This is an offense of assault and she should be stopped. A soldier who works for us day and night and puts himself at risk and said “Ben Gavir” the officer will take him aside and warn him, but about suspending a soldier? I will ask for clarification on these things.”
Ben Gvir added: “Whoever attacks a soldier should be arrested and I spoke tonight with the family of one of the fighters and they tell me, “Itamar, they spit on soldiers, curse, push and hurt them”. And I know the pictures and the anarchists, so tonight I call on the Israel Police to investigate .
As reported last Friday, the Likud and Otzma Yehudit factions have reached an agreement on an annex of positions in the next government. The appendix brings closer the signing of the full agreement which will include budgets, essential issues and basic guidelines. The annex to the agreement joins the summaries of the past week, according to which the five-year status will be regulated, the yeshiva in Abitar will be regulated, the young settlement will be regulated, the protection law up to 10 years in prison, and an expanded southern law that will allow the shooting of gun thieves from bases.
According to the summary, Otzma Yehudit will receive the Ministry of Internal Security with extensive powers and, among other things, the Green Police, the Green Patrol, the Land Enforcement Authority and the IOSH Police – and the ministry will henceforth be called the Ministry of National Security.
The office will be headed by the chairman of Otzma Yehudit Itamar Ben Gabir who will also serve as a cabinet minister and a member of the various ministerial committees.
It was also agreed that for the benefit of strengthening governance, public order, personal security, the fight against criminal and protectionist organizations, a large-scale national guard will be established, and the normalization system of the MGB reserves will be expanded to full function.
In addition, according to the agreement, Otzma Yehudit received the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee. It was agreed between the Likud and Otzma Yehudit on the expansion of the ministry’s powers and areas of operation, and it will be called the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and National Resilience. The new office will be budgeted in the amount of two billion NIS per year, for the benefit of developing and empowering the Galilee Negev and the neighborhoods, increasing growth engines in the youth centers, caring for senior citizens, and carrying out national projects for the benefit of strengthening Israeli society.
In addition, the director of planning in the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and Social Resilience will be responsible for carrying out the regulation of all the young settlements in Judea and Samaria in accordance with the decisions of a team of ministers led by the Prime Minister.
Otzma Yehudit will also receive the Ministry of Heritage, which will deal with all the heritage and antiquities sites in Israel, including Judea and Samaria. The Ministry of Heritage will also include the Antiquities Authority, the Council for the Preservation of Sites and will work to develop and preserve the history of the people of Israel.
Otzma Yehudit will also receive the chairmanship of the Internal Security Committee, the chairmanship of the Israel Citizens Fund Committee in rotation, and a deputy minister in the Ministry of Economy.