Israel: Far-right politician Ben-Gvir will rejoin government
Far-right politician, Itamar Ben-Gvir will return to Netanyahu’s government in a move that could see the further escalation of bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and the intensification of the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
Ben-Gvir will rejoin the Israeli government in Netanyahu’s latest move to consolidate his position and strengthen the position of the far-right in Israel who have publicly supported the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Reported by The New Arab on March 18th, Ben-Gvir, the former Israeli National Security Minister, announced in a joint party statement that he will return to the government following the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Ben-Gvir who leads the Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Power”) party left the government following the announcement of the ceasefire with Hamas in December 2024, leaving Netanyahu’s government with a thin parliamentary majority.
He stated that “if the war against Hamas resumes, with intensity, in order to achieve the objectives of the war that have not been achieved, we will return to the government.”
Since, Israel has carried out a widespread assault on the enclave, killing at least 412 Palestinians including children, and enforced a blockade which has detrimentally hampered the ability for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Israel’s aid blockage has been condemned by United Nations’ humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher who described it as “alarming” and Doctors Without Borders has said it was “unacceptable” and “outrageous”. Egypt has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, with many accusing Israel of breaching International Law.
The resumption of military offensives, according to the Israeli state, is in response to Hamas’s unwillingness to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal which saw the exchange of Israeli hostages abducted during Hamas’s October 7th attack in Israel, with Palestinian detainees.
Hamas, on the other hand, has reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire deal and have said they are ready to comply with the proposal suggested by Trump’s envoy Adam Boehler which would see an Israeli-American captive freed and the bodies of four dual nationals returned before moving onto the second phase of the ceasefire.
Ben-Gvir will return to his position as head of National Security and his ministers will be reinstated to their previous positions, strengthening Netanyahu’s government and indicating the state’s intention of war continuation.
The strengthening of his government and the continuation of war appears convenient.
The New Arab reported that the shock attack on Gaza came on the same day as Netanyahu was set to provide testimony in his corruption trial, forcing the court to annul the hearing.
With support from the Israeli far-right and emboldened by Donald Trump’s White House, Netanyahu’s new offensives launched on the already-decimated enclave will sideline existing concerns over Netanyahu continuing in his position as Prime Minister and focus attention back toward the military decimation of the Palestinian enclave.
The humanitarian blockade has been a common feature of Israel’s policy towards the enclave and international criticism does not seem to impact this policy, with international institutions and human rights groups’ legitimacy wavering in the new era of ‘strongmen’ politics.
The New Arab, Maghrebi
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