Ben Gvir not invited to security consultation: ‘A barking dog with no bite’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is not invited to a high-level consultation held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his security chiefs after the deadly attack in the West Bank settlement of Eli.

Channel 12 quotes senior government officials as saying the move is deliberate as the far-right minister is not trusted.

“He’s a barking dog that doesn’t bite,” one unnamed government minister tells the channel. “He’s a small child who got the security [portfolio] and the whole country is paying the price.”

Another government member tells the channel that Ben Gvir is the “weak link” in the government.

Among those attending are Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and the heads of the IDF and Shin Bet security service.

Earlier, Ben Gvir defied calls from the military not to come to the scene of the attack and called for Netanyahu to launch a wide-scale military operation.