This was reportedly the third assassination plot foiled by Israeli authorities.
Israeli authorities have charged three Palestinians with allegedly plotting to kill far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to Israeli media.
The Israeli public broadcaster said an indictment was filed against the suspects, from the occupied West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil), the Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday.
Citing police and the domestic Shin Bet intelligence unit, the Times of Israel said that “Ismail Ibrahim Avadi, was accused of surveilling BenGvir and his son Shoval Ben-Gvir, 18, with the intention of killing them, after setting up a terror cell.” The other suspects were not named.
The paper said that this was the third assassination plot foiled by the authorities.
Monitoring of Travel Routes
According to the indictment, Awadi “conducted surveillance on Ben-Gvir and his son, monitoring their travel routes, vehicles and security arrangements,” the Israeli YNet News website reported.
“One scenario considered was attacking Ben-Gvir upon his arrival at a terror scene, a routine part of his ministerial duties,” the report added.
Ben Gvir Lost His MIND when Palestinian Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi called him a Terrorist
THE TRUTH BURNS! pic.twitter.com/AcLCIVlOdv
— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) October 15, 2024
The suspects were arrested earlier this year, and had reportedly approached Hamas and Hezbollah for funding and training, the report alleged.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party, is a settler in Hebron and oversees the Israeli police force. He is known for his hardline positions against Palestinians and one of the leading proponents of the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza that has killed close to 44,000 people.
Ben Gvir Adamant
Following the news of the foiled plot, YNet reported that Ben Gvir said: “I will continue to push for harsher prison conditions for terrorists, enforce sovereignty and governance in Israel, distribute arms, demolish illegal homes and achieve decisive victory over our enemies. No terrorist will deter me.”
אמשיך לפעול למען מדינת ישראל — שום מחבל לא ירתיע אותי! 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/iVF14IIgAn
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) November 21, 2024
The Times of Israel said that in April, the Shin Bet foiled another assassination plot against Ben Gvir “involving seven Arab Israelis and four West Bank Palestinians,” while in 2022, the Shin Bet uncovered an assassation plot in East Jerusalem, at the time when Ben Gvir was an opposition MK in the Knesset.
Ben Gvir has previously called for the restriction of movement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as well as the death penalty for Palestinian detainees.
Attorney General’s Call
Last week, Israel’s Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara requested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reassess “his stance” on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s role as security minister, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
‘Improper Interventions’ – Israel’s AG Urges Netanyahu to Reassess Ben-Gvir’s Role
The attorney-general noted, in a letter to Netanyahu, incidents included in a petition to the High Court of Justice against Ben-Gvir’s position. She said those incidents, as well as incidents that precede it, “create a rare, severe, and ongoing pattern of law violations, breaches of duty, and harm to fundamental governance principles, alongside the politicization of police work.”
(PC, Anadolu)
