Pro-Israel Groups Want You to Believe That Israel’s National Security Minister… Doesn’t Represent Israel
Parts of the pro-Israel lobby are calling for the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir to be ousted from government, after he called for the mass murder of Palestinians. So what will they do when he isn’t?
Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, just called for Israel to kill 30 or 40 Palestinians every day, arguing there are people in Gaza who “shouldn’t live” and are “not even people.”
Pro-Israel groups in the U.S. are condemning the man, saying he doesn’t represent the Israeli government, or its policies – even though he is literally the top national security official in Israel. Meanwhile, his calls for indiscriminate killing would be less deadly than how Israel has conducted its ongoing genocide in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, which the same groups have defended and denied.
Ben-Gvir made the vicious comments in a podcast published Saturday.
“It’s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister,” Ben-Gvir said, regarding Israel’s somewhat reduced operations in Gaza, in light of the thus-far failing “peace plan” brokered by President Donald Trump. ”I think we should carry out targeted assassinations in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night,” he continued. “Not just those who pose an immediate threat. No, there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”
Ben-Gvir made the remarks on the ‘October 8’ podcast hosted by a former Israeli soldier released from Palestinian Islamic Jihad captivity. He additionally called for the mass forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and Israeli settlement of the Strip.
“I see all of Gaza as ours,” Ben-Gvir said, calling for settlements “throughout Gaza, encouraging as much emigration as possible, sending them to their countries, and for the terrorists, no emigration, nothing, just to kill them one by one.”