National Security Minister Slams Journalist Over Remarks on Prison Service Staff

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sharply criticized journalist Anat Kamm on Thursday following her recent remarks about Prison Service (Shabas) employees. Kamm, who previously served a prison sentence for transferring classified documents to journalist Uri Blau during her military service, had published comments questioning the education, socioeconomic background, and life aspirations of Shabas staff.

Kamm wrote that a significant portion of Shabas employees are individuals whose past, even minor, placed them on the "right side" of the bars. She further described them as "uneducated people, from a low socioeconomic background, with prior service in the Border Police and zero aspirations in life besides a steady job." She concluded by attributing the hiring issues at Shabas to a manpower shortage, stating they "accept anyone with a pulse, and these are the results."

Ben-Gvir responded fiercely, defending the prison staff and personally attacking Kamm. He called her comments "disgusting and unsurprising leftist racism and arrogance from the despicable spy against the heroic fighters of the Prison Service, the spearhead in the war on terror." He highlighted the growth in Shabas personnel during his tenure, stating, "I am proud of every one of the 11,000 male and female prison guards, an increase of 2,000 during my term and that of the wonderful Commissioner Kobi Yaacobi."

Concluding his remarks, Ben-Gvir directly addressed Kamm's comment about "zero aspirations in life," using the same word to retort, "They have one 'aspiration,' to protect all our lives, including the zeros like you." The exchange has turned Kamm's critique of Shabas employees into a public confrontation with the minister responsible for the organization, focusing on her comments about the staff's background and ambitions, and Ben-Gvir's strong defense of the 11,000 personnel.