Israel’s National Guard ‘militia for fighting Palestinians’: Rights group

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – A human rights group has termed Israel’s National Guard as an armed militia designed for fighting Palestinians, calling for its abolition.

In a statement, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (ADALA) said it has sent an urgent letter to the government's judicial adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanding the abolition of the so-called National Guard.

“This body is nothing but an armed militia under a legal cover to fight the Palestinians, and reinforces the apartheid regime,” it said.

On Monday, Netanyahu gave the National Guard to Ben-Gvir in exchange for his support for a decision to temporarily suspend plans for judicial overhaul, which triggered mass protests in Israel over the past three months.

“Even if we turn a blind eye to the racist motives for establishing this Guard, it is unreasonable to transfer the powers of the policemen to civilian volunteers,” the rights group said.

There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the statement.

Ben-Gvir holds far-right views on the Palestinians and has called for their displacement. He has repeatedly joined Israeli settlers in storming the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

In November 2022, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned in a leaked audio that "the whole world is worried" about Ben-Gvir’s far-right views.

* Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report