Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's notorious far-right
National Security Minister, said that police had detained a Palestinian who had
intended to kill him.
According to a statement from his office, the
unnamed man was detained a few weeks ago.
The statement read, "Police, working with
Shin Bet, the internal security organisation just apprehended the Arab suspect,
a Jerusalem resident, who was preparing to assassinate National Security
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The leader of the Jewish Power party,
Ben-Gvir, has a history of making hurtful comments about Palestinians.
He resides in the occupied West Bank, where
there has been an increase in fatal violence since the remark was made.
After two Israeli brothers were shot dead
while driving through the hamlet of Huwara on Sunday night into Monday morning,
dozens of settlers went on the rampage in the northern West Bank.
The experienced Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's new administration, which was inaugurated on December 29,
appointed Ben-Gvir to his crucial security position.
Ben-Gvir supports Israel's annexation of the
West Bank and the relocation of some Israeli Arabs, who are descended from
Palestinians who remained on their land after Israel was founded in 1948, to
neighbouring nations.
Moreover, Ben-Gvir has been promoting a
divisive measure that would execute those found guilty of "terrorist"
attacks that resulted in the deaths of Israeli citizens.
According to the statement, the suspect
allegedly collected data on the minister's whereabouts and got funding from
unnamed "terrorist elements in a neighbouring state."
Ben-Gvir was formerly shunned by Israel's
political establishment.
Throughout his adolescence, he was accused of
inciting violence or using hate speech more than 50 times.
The father of six, who is now one of the most
well-known individuals in Israeli politics, resides in a radical West Bank
settlement and frequently shows up at flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.