Jerusalem: Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's controversial far-right National Security Minister, claimed on Tuesday that police had detained a Palestinian who had intended to kill him. According to a statement from his office, the unnamed man was detained a few weeks ago.
The statement read, "Police, working with Shin Bet, the internal security service, recently arrested the Arab suspect, a Jerusalem resident, who was preparing to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The leader of the Jewish Power party, Ben-Gvir, has a history of making hurtful comments about Palestinians. He lives in the occupied West Bank, where there has been an increase in fatal violence since the statement was made.
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After two Israeli brothers were shot dead while driving through the town of Huwara on Sunday night into Monday morning, dozens of settlers went on the rampage in the northern West Bank.
The veteran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new administration, which was sworn in on December 29, appointed Ben-Gvir to his crucial security position.
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Ben-Gvir supports Israel's annexation of the West Bank and the relocation of some Israeli Arabs, who are descended from Palestinians who remained on their land after Israel was founded in 1948, to neighbouring nations. Additionally, Ben-Gvir has been promoting a divisive bill that would execute those found guilty of "terrorist" attacks that resulted in the deaths of Israeli citizens.
According to the statement, the suspect allegedly collected data on the minister's whereabouts and received funding from unnamed "terrorist elements in a neighbouring state."
Ben-Gvir was once shunned by Israel's political establishment. In his youth, he was accused of inciting violence or using hate speech more than 50 times.
The father of six, who is now one of the most well-known figures in Israeli politics, resides in a radical West Bank settlement and frequently shows up at flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.