Uri Ariel wants to close ‘Jewish Division’ in Shin Bet

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) and the party’s MK Bezalel Smotrich criticize the Shin Bet after Itamar Ben Gvir, lawyer of one of the suspects in the Duma terror attack, alleged that his client confessed under torture.

The firebomb that destroyed the Dawabsha family – killing two parents and a baby – was allegedly thrown by Ben Gvir’s as yet unnamed client.

According to Channel 2, Ariel wrote on Whatsapp to some of his close associates that the “Jewish Division of Shin Bet needs to be closed, and the sooner the better.”

The Jewish Division is the security service branch in charge of dealing with terror threats coming from the Jewish population.

Smotrich answers Ariel’s comment: “I agree with Uri, it is a division that apart from inventing Avishai Raviv did not achieve anything over the past few years.”

Raviv was an agent provocateur handled by Shin Bet. He was dismissed from service in 1995 shortly after the murder of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Smotrich and Ariel’s views run against that of their party leader, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who earlier today gave his full backing to Shin Bet and condemned Jewish terrorists, saying terror should be uprooted regardless of who perpetrates it.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also gave Shin Bet his full support.