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Amidst the ongoing tension in the Middle East and international efforts for a ceasefire, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has once again made a statement that has created a stir in diplomatic and human rights circles. Amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Ben-Gvir has openly called for Israeli security forces to carry out targeted assassinations of 30 to 40 people in Gaza every night. The Associated Press reports Ben-Gvir made the controversial comments while speaking to former Gaza hostage Rom Braslavski’s podcast show, according to Reuters.
When the podcast was discussing the October 7, 2023 attacks and the situation that followed, Ben-Gvir expressed strong objection to the policies of his own government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the recent reduction in the intensity of Israeli attacks in Gaza. He said that it is not a hidden secret that he has differences with the Prime Minister. Ben-Gvir claimed that Israel should carry out targeted killings in Gaza every night rather than limiting attacks and that actions should not be limited to those that pose an immediate threat. Using extremely derogatory language in reference to the Palestinians, he said that there are people there who do not deserve to live, they should not live because they are not even human.
Advocating complete occupation and displacement of Gaza: Genocide claims will gain strength in the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
India Today report According to , in the same interview, Ben-Gvir not only advocated setting a quota for daily deaths, but also openly supported mass emigration of the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip and the re-construction of Jewish settlements there. He said he considered all of Gaza to be part of Israel and that new Israeli settlements should be established throughout Gaza, not just in the old Gush Katif settlements. He talked about sending the residents of Gaza to other countries and eliminating the terrorists one by one. International law experts say that forcibly pushing out and relocating an entire population from an area directly amounts to ‘ethnic cleansing’ and a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
At the international level, this statement of Ben-Gvir is being considered very serious for the cases going on in the ‘International Court of Justice’ (ICJ) based in The Hague. Such statements by Israeli politicians have previously been presented in court as evidence of ‘genocidal intent’ during the hearing of genocide charges leveled against Israel by South Africa. Although Israel’s official policy has been to reject these allegations, this public stance by a sitting senior cabinet minister could further weaken Israel’s defense in global forums.
The influence of the far-right and internal differences in Israeli politics
CBS News report Underlines that Ben-Gvir may not have direct command of the Israeli military (IDF), but he has deep influence in the country’s national security apparatus. He is in charge of the national police force and Israel’s prison system (Prison Service), where thousands of Palestinian prisoners are held. Even before this, he had proudly given a statement regarding cutting the food of Palestinian prisoners, against which Israel’s top court had issued instructions.
There is a huge tussle within the Israeli government regarding American and international peace proposals in Gaza. Report by The Indian Express According to , when the military hinted at limiting the right to strikes and making a strategic pause, coalition partners like Ben-Gvir began to strongly oppose it. In view of domestic politics and the upcoming elections, such statements being made to unite far-right voters are feared to have an adverse impact on the chances of ceasefire talks and the safe release of hostages. Global human rights organizations and Arab countries have strongly condemned this statement and demanded immediate cognizance from the international community.