Gallant wrote to Ben Gvir that “there is no place in ‘Israel’ for private militias,” in a letter whose contents were aired by Channel 12 news.
“The establishment of a new security body will cause real problems and be a distraction for the security establishment,” he wrote.
Ben Gvir won approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his long-sought “national” guard in March, in exchange for supporting a temporary pause on “judicial overhaul” legislation.
He has demanded that the force answer directly to him, instead of being subordinate to the existing police, which has drawn warnings from former senior police commanders and current commissioner Kobi Shabtai, who say the plan could harm public security and cause chaos in law enforcement.
Ben Gvir rejected Gallant’s criticism, saying in a statement he should concentrate on problems in his ministry and charging that he’d sent the letter to the media before sending it to the minister’s office.
“The prime minister and Minister Ben Gvir agreed on the establishment of a ‘national’ guard in ‘Israel’ and Gallant will not decide how it will work. We ask Gallant, who tried to halt the ‘judicial reforms’ and who persecutes settlers, to not involve himself in ‘national guard’ matters. The committee will finish its work and submit its recommendations in a month and a half,” Ben Gvir’s office said in a statement.
The controversial force is expected to comprise 2,000 servicemembers who will be tasked with tackling “nationalist crime” and “terrorism”, and “restoring governance where needed.” The timeline for the creation of such a force remains unclear. The specific powers granted to the “national guard”, and whom it will answer to, are also still up in the air.
