Ben-Gvir 'totally failed' to curb 'internal threat of Arab Israelis,' Smotrich says

The Israel Police and those who are responsible for it "totally failed" in preventing a scenario in which Arab Israelis would take part in the Iranian threat to "conquer" Israel, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a speech at a joint conference of Mekor Rishon and the Jerusalem College of Technology called "Security and Technology" on Sunday.

Smotrich described what he viewed as a multi-pronged Iranian effort to counter Israel and listed as a possible front "the internal front of Israel's Arabs," which "could not be ignored."

“The Iranians are counting on them joining, and we are far from doing what needs to be done in order to neutralize their threat in advance,” Smotrich said, including “hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons and arms, which at the moment of truth are supposed, according to the Iranian ambition, to take part in the conquering plan.

“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 said. “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 responds to criticism 

The finance minister was clearly directing his criticism at National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir. The two far-right politicians ran in the last election as a joint list, with Smotrich as number one, but polls in recent months have consistently given Ben-Gvir nearly 10 seats, while Smotrich has failed to reach the electoral threshold of 3.25% of the general vote.

Ben-Gvir responded in statement soon after, "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."

During his tenure, Ben-Gvir has led a policy of widespread arms distribution, by relaxing the restrictions on civilians to purchase personal arms.

He warned after the October 7 Hamas massacre and ensuing war that Israel's Arab civilians would join in the fight against Israel, but this did not happen. Smotrich also did not provide backing or evidence that this would be a looming threat.