As Benjamin Netanyahu continues to negotiate with Likud’s coalition partners to form a new government, it has been announced that Itamar Ben-Gvir will be Israel’s next National Security Minister. Ben-Gvir, who is the head of the Otzma Yehudit Party which won 14 seats in the recent election, is a controversial choice. Both Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the Biden Administration have concerns about the appointment given Ben-Gvir’s past association with Rabbi Meir Kahane who advocated removing all Arabs from Israel. However, Ben-Gvir has more recently been quoted as saying “I no longer believe that all Arabs should be kicked out of Israel. I only believe that terrorists should be.”
