Ben-Gvir accuses Israeli prison commissioner of 'revenge'

Israel Prison Services (IPS) Chief Katy Perry "got revenge" on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, his people claimed on Monday.

According to the claim, Perry moved security prisoners to a cell with bedbugs after Ben-Gvir called a hearing for officials in the IPS regarding an incident where guards were apparently attacked by criminal prisoners who identify with an Arab crime organization. However, the chain of events described by Ben-Gvir's people doesn't fit with the claim.

The prisoners at the center of the disagreement are two Jews who were arrested with an administrative warrant on suspicion of involvement in the riots in Huwara and were initially placed in the secure wing of the Ayalon Prison. They were placed in this wing after one of them requested to move to the religious wing, but his request was denied last month as a result of an expert opinion.

Later, on July 2, the IPS's replacements committee decided to move the two to the secure wing in the Eshel Prison.

When the two were moved to the new facility, the two reported bedbugs in the cell - a problematic phenomenon in the wings of other prisons that have been dealt with in the last few years.

About a week and a half later, Ben-Gvir summoned officials in the IPS in regards to a Ynet report on criminal prisoners who identify with a crime organization and held prisoners hostage, threatening them with improvised weapons. The incident was apparently hidden from the public and the National Security Ministry.

Ben-Gvir's people connect the incidents in accusation

Ben-Gvir's people connected the incidents and claimed on Sunday that "as a result of the minister's decision to summon IPS officials against the opinion of IPS Chief Katy Perry when she decided to move Jewish security prisoners from Ayalon Prison to a small cell that isn't fit for two prisoners in Eshel Prison. This was aimed at revenge against the minister for the hearings while the minister has worked since he began his role to total equality among all the security prisoners."

However, after the chain of events was examined, moving the Jewish prisoners to the cell with the bedbugs was done before the minister's decision to summon the officials for a hearing. 

What's more, the bedbugs phenomenon, which can be found in cells in a variety of prisons, isn't specifically aimed at certain prisoners and stems from the aging of the facilities that are available to the IPS and often, poor hygiene on the part of the prisoners.