Netanyahu says Ben-Gvir 'needs to calm down' - report
In response, Ben-Gvir reportedly said that Netanyahu 'must understand he isn’t in the opposition'
Reports emerged on Saturday of Israel's prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu slamming far-right Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying that he "needs to calm down."
Channel 12 reported that during "closed conversations” - which usually refers to statements given unofficially - Netanyahu said that Ben-Gvir "needs to internalize" his role as public security minister, adding: "He can’t express himself like an opposition lawmaker."
The network reported that Ben-Gvir was also heard in similar closed conversations saying that he "greatly appreciates Netanyahu" but that the Likud leader "must understand he isn’t in the opposition. He is the head of a fully right-wing government.”
According to reports, the two politicians have recently been at odds, with the Jewish Power leader accusing Netanyahu of "making a U-turn" on various coalition agreements. The agreements involved Ben-Gvir demanding that the open-fire rules for Israel's police be eased.
The current rules are strict, stipulating that there must be a clear and immediate danger to the officer before they can shoot. Ben-Gvir aims to relax the rules to permit officers to shoot anyone representing a "potential threat," including those holding stones or Molotov cocktails.
When Netanyahu was reportedly unwilling to include this request, among others, in the coalition agreement, Ben-Gvir allegedly shouted at him: "That's not why I came to politics."
The far-right lawmaker has also reportedly complained to Netanyahu about the number of portfolios given to the Religious Zionism party, whose leader, Bezalel Smotrich, was given the finance ministry.