Ben Gvir backs officer who shot suspects in Negev car chase

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that he “fully supports” a policeman who shot and injured a suspected criminal during a car chase in the Negev.

The chase began after police tried to stop a suspicious vehicle during an operation near the Negev Bedouin town of Tel Sheva. The driver attempted to flee officers and injured several pedestrians while speeding off, law enforcement says.

Officers opened fire on the driver and his passenger, injuring one lightly and the other moderately. Both were arrested following the chase.

“Every criminal who tries to harm and endangers a police officer should know that his blood is on his own head,” the far-right minister says in a statement, saying the incident “once again illustrates the necessity of the extensive activity we are leading.”

The arrests come two days after Ben Gvir announced an operation to combat crime in Bedouin communities throughout the Negev, dubbed Operation “New Order.” Police say its forces in the Southern District arrested 36 suspects overnight and confiscated a weapon stolen from an IDF base as part of the initiative.