Likud says Netanyahu agrees to range of legislative demands by Ben Gvir

In a meeting earlier today, Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu and Otzma Yehudit head Itamar Ben Gvir agreed to a series of legislative initiatives that Ben Gvir has been pushing for, Likud says.

Those bills include retroactively legalizing a swath of illegal West Bank outposts within 60 days of the government being sworn in; changing the 2005 Disengagement Law in a way that would allow the legalization of the controversial Homesh outpost and yeshiva; a minimum sentence for agricultural crimes; and others.

Likud says they also agreed to expand an existing law that says no criminal charges can be brought against someone using force to protect their home to also apply to anyone defending an IDF army base.

After the Netanyahu-Ben Gvir meeting, Likud said that the pair made “significant advancements,” without elaborating. Even if such promises are ultimately entered into the coalition agreements, there is no guarantee they would manage to pass in the Knesset.

Ben Gvir has publicly demanded that he be given the position of public security minister, a post that has worried several Western allies, considering his incendiary background. It is unclear if Netanyahu is willing to hand him the job.