Defense minister says national security being sapped by Ben Gvir’s moves

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is endangering Israel by raising the prospect of allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, a move that would upend a longstanding status quo agreement and spark widespread anger in the Muslim world.

Gallant does not directly call for Ben Gvir to be removed from his post, despite the far-right politician’s attempt to engineer Gallant’s sacking last year. But he makes plain that keeping the politician in power could come back to hurt Israel, noting that undermining the status quo is “dangerous, unnecessary and reckless.”

“Ben Gvir’s actions endanger Israel’s national security and its international standing,” Gallant writes on Twitter. “The action the IDF took yesterday to thwart a Hezbollah attack strengthened Israel, Ben Gvir’s statements weaken it.”