Itamar Ben Gvir Attacks Trooper and Handel Over National Security Ministry Demand

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's National Security Minister, sharply criticized Hili Trooper and Yoaz Handel on Wednesday after their party, "Zionist Home, the Reservists," declared it would demand the National Security Ministry for Handel as a condition to join the next government. Ben Gvir linked their demand to their previous roles in the Bennett-Lapid government, accusing them of wanting to reverse reforms he implemented during his tenure. He said, "I hear that the friends from the Bennett-Abbas government, Handel and Trooper, who were involved in the scandal of freezing enforcement in the Negev, canceling tree planting, stopping scholarships for IDF soldiers, and transferring 50 billion shekels to the Islamic Movement, want to regain control of the National Security Ministry."

Ben Gvir claimed their goal was not merely to obtain the ministry but to undo his policy changes. He detailed that they intend to "return the playground to terrorists, stop demolitions of illegal construction in the Negev, cancel key appointments of district commanders in the police and prison service, revoke hundreds of thousands of gun licenses, and turn the police into a political tool for the left." He concluded by asserting he would not relinquish the ministry after the elections, stating, "It won't help them; Otzma Yehudit will continue to hold this ministry in the next government."

This confrontation follows Trooper and Handel unveiling their "Magen David Plan," emphasizing that they will only join a Zionist government, demanding a conscription law before coalition formation, and seeking to appoint Handel as National Security Minister. Handel justified his demand by saying internal security is "our eighth front, and we are losing it." This demand has become a key early point of contention in the election campaign.