Ben Gvir seeks to become Defense Minister

Otzma Yehudit chairman and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir presented Tuesday evening his party’s coalition demands ahead of the formation of the next government: the Defense Ministry for himself and the Justice Ministry for MK Tally Gotliv. Alongside the requested distribution of ministerial portfolios, Ben Gvir and Gotliv presented a series of measures they seek to advance in the areas of security and the justice system. The security plan presented by Ben Gvir includes a policy of encouraging voluntary emigration from the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria. In addition, he seeks to disarm the Palestinian Authority and arrest senior PA officials who support terrorism. Regarding IDF operations, Ben Gvir seeks to change the rules of engagement and expand the backing provided to soldiers. The plan also calls for raising soldiers’ salaries and providing combat soldiers with free land. Two additional provisions concern changes within the IDF: Ben Gvir seeks to change the military’s ethical code, which the party described as “Asa Kasher’s progressive ethical code," and to open elite units, including Unit 8200, to the entire population.