ALBAWABA - Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has sparked controversy by endorsing the killing of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons and by demanding harsh punitive measures against Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank.
Ben Gvir expressed his opinions on social media in the wake of a horrific incident in Hebron that resulted in the shooting deaths of three Israeli police officers. He said, "The right of Israelis to live takes precedence over the freedom of movement for citizens under the Palestinian Authority."
Ben Gvir encouraged the Israeli government to limit Palestinian mobility inside the West Bank and to erect additional military checkpoints. Additionally, he lobbied for the Security Cabinet to take the death sentence for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails into consideration.
Ben Gvir also demanded that Israeli settlements be built on Palestinian property and that additional Israeli colonies be established in Gaza. He said that by providing wages to those who carry out violent crimes against Jews, the Palestinian Authority is encouraging terrorism.
The minister's comments came after a sad event that occurred in Tarqumiyah, a hamlet near Hebron, when three Israeli police officers were killed in a gunshot that targeted a truck carrying cops.
