From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Netanyahu: Negev is out of control, we will rein it in
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
The Negev region in southern Israel is “out of control,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says during a tour of the area with top defense, intelligence and law enforcement officials, while pledging a national project to restore governance.
“We will rein it in,” he says in a video, “and an important operation by the Israel Police has already begun in combination with other forces. To rein it in, we must understand that the criminal threat and the security threat blend into one. There are tens of thousands of weapons [in the region], drones crossing borders, and other threats.”
Netanyahu tours the western Negev with Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the directors general of the Prime Minister’s Office and several ministries.
Overlooking the Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj, Shin Bet chief David Zini, Police Commissioner Danny Levy and Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai brief Netanyahu on operations to combat weapons smuggling and possession in the area.
The group also discuss a five-year plan to expand construction of communities on the borders, with an emphasis on the Nitzana area on the Egyptian border, Netanyahu’s office says in a statement.
“Strengthening settlement in the Negev strengthens Israel’s security, strengthens sovereignty, and strengthens our hold on the land,” says Katz. “Settling the Negev is a strategic defensive line of prime importance for the state’s borders and the civilian home front.”
“Despite the efforts of criminal elements to intimidate us we are not flinching,” says Ben Gvir. “We will continue the operation throughout the Negev as long as necessary, with the goal of restoring security to residents.”
The Times of Israel Community.