Netanyahu rebukes Ben-Gvir: Calls to illegally grab land ‘unacceptable’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “unacceptable” to him that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called on settlers to grab land in the West Bank illegally. 

“Calls to grab land illegally and actions of grabbing land illegally are unacceptable to me. They undermine law and order in Judea and Samaria and must stop immediately. Not only will we not back such actions, but our government will also take strong action against them,” Netanyahu said.

His remark came in response to Ben-Gvir’s statement last week at the illegal and abandoned West Bank outpost of Evyatar, in which he called on settlers to “run for the hilltops” and “settle them.”

“There needs to be a full settlement here. Not just here but on all the hilltops around us. We have to settle the land of Israel and at the same time need to launch a military campaign, blow up buildings, assassinate terrorists. Not one, or two, but dozens, hundreds, or if needed, thousands. We are behind you. Run for the hilltops, settle them,” Ben-Gvir said in Evyatar.

Netanyahu accused Ben-Gvir’s of “hurting” the settlement enterprise: “These calls hurt the vital interests of the State of Israel and they must stop immediately.”

“For years I have been saying that the proper response to terrorism is to fight the terrorists and – at the same time – to deepen our roots in our country. Indeed. we have been targeting a record number of terrorists and also building in our country on a broad scale according to approved construction plans. I emphasise – approved,’ he added.

Ben-Gvir fired back at Netanyahu, saying that a “right-wing government must realise its vision,” by expanding settlements, while showing “zero tolerance toward those who threaten that if we do not accede to their requests there will be war. Israel must not fold.”

Following the terror attack at a restaurant and gas station near the settlement of Eli last week, in which four Israelis were killed, Netanyahu approved the building of 1,000 units for the settlement.

The decision to further expand settlements was made despite an explicit commitment to “stop discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop authorisation of any outposts for six months,’ at a security summit in Jordan.

The pledge was made to all participants, which included the U.S., Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.