Ben-Gvir Defends Controversial Election Campaign Linking Him to Preventing Oct. 7

Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has ignited a significant controversy with a provocative election campaign by his "Otzma Yehudit" party. Ahead of the anniversary of the October 7th massacre, hundreds of billboards and buses display Ben-Gvir's image alongside the claim, "If he had been Defense Minister, October 7th would not have happened." The campaign also features quotes from Ben-Gvir's past warning against "the conception," referring to the intelligence failures preceding the attack. These advertisements have provoked widespread public anger, with critics decrying the use of severe terror events for propaganda and the attempt to claim credit for preventing a national disaster. In response to the public outcry, Ben-Gvir sharply criticized his opponents, accusing them of hypocrisy. "I see the whining of the left, and it only sharpens for me that they too know the truth," he stated, adding that he was previously ridiculed but that "they will talk, and we will work."

The controversial move comes at a sensitive time, as the campaign aims to position Ben-Gvir as a security alternative. The use of the national disaster for political gain has reopened deep wounds and exacerbated public shock at the attempt to link the terrible failure to election propaganda.