Knesset reportedly considering establishment of armed volunteer security squad

The Knesset is reportedly considering establishing a civilian security unit to boost its defenses, mimicking armed rapid response squads set up in communities around Israel following the October 7 Hamas massacres in southern Israel.

The security unit, which would draw armed volunteers from the ranks of parliament staff, would operate alongside the Knesset Guard, the highly trained security team responsible for securing the building and Knesset members, the Kan public broadcaster reported Thursday.

According to the report, the initiative is being overseen by Knesset Director-General Moshe Edri, who has asked for suitable employees to be recommended to him for the project.

The team would carry weapons, patrol the grounds and assist the Knesset Guard in the event of a security incident.

It was unclear if lawmakers could also take part in the squad.

The Knesset security unit would be the latest addition to some 600 civilian security teams that have been established or bolstered across Israel following the deadly October 7 attack, in which Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people inside Israel, mostly civilians, and took at least 228 hostages.

The establishment of these teams has been backed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who authorized his office to distribute some 10,000 firearms in the wake of the October 7 attack, as well as combat gear, protective vests and helmets, to Israeli civilians — with a particular focus on residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

In a press conference earlier this week, retired deputy police commissioner Shimon Lavi, who was appointed by Ben Gvir to serve as coordinator for the ministry on the issue, said that this effort comprised “a third” of the target, implying that at least another 1,200 security squads could be established.

Lavi said no decision had been made on whether authorities will take back the thousands of assault rifles that have been distributed to the civilian security squads, after the current war ends.

The civilian units on kibbutzim in southern Israel were in many cases the only resistance faced by terrorists who breached the border and invaded the adjacent communities on October 7. In a handful of cases, the squads managed to repel the attackers.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.