Smotrich attacks Ben-Gvir over ‘illegal arms and weapons’ within Israel’s Arab community

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attacked National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday during the Security and Technology Conference organised by Makor Rishon newspaper and the Jerusalem College of Technology. Smotrich told the conference that “the internal front” of Israel’s Arabs cannot be ignored. Twenty per cent of Israeli citizens are Palestinians.

“There are hundreds of thousands of illegal arms and weapons, which at the moment of truth are supposed, according to the Iranian ambition, to take part in the conquering plan,” claimed Smotrich. “We are far from doing what needs to be done in order to neutralise their threat in advance.”

He then turned on his equally far-right colleague Ben-Gvir. “On this issue the police and he who is responsible for it are completely failing. This is not solved by giving guns to first-response teams; the weapons need to be collected and the phenomenon needs to be eliminated.”

Smotrich added: “It is inside us and is more dangerous than what is outside of the border. A concentrated effort is necessary here, not in talk and announcements, but in actions.”

Ben-Gvir responded to Smotrich’s statements in a post on X: “While all of our children are united at the front, we must be united and not be pulled into personal attacks. The finance minister’s words have the Left rubbing its hands together in delight. Despite the attacks from the Left and, unfortunately, from partners, we will continue with the first-response project, distributing weapons and deterring terrorists in prison at full force.”

READ: Ben-Gvir calls for executing Palestinian prisoners