BEN-GVIR: Israel Must 'Go Berserk' After Iran Strike

Israel's extremist national security minister controls Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because he can dissolve coalition government

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's extremist national security minister, has power over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and could dissolve the coalition government if unhappy with next move vis-a-vis Iran.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's extremist national security minister who has the power to dissolve Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition government, said Sunday that his country must go “berserk” after Iran’s retaliatory strike to instill a level of “deterrence in the Middle East.”

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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another extremist settler, said Israel must attack Iran.

“The eyes of the entire Middle East and the entire world are on the State of Israel. If our reaction resonates throughout the Middle East for generations to come - we will win," he said, according to The Jerusalem Post.

These two Israelis are the face of the Netanyahu government and have tremendous power over Netanyahu.

Netanyahu became Israeli prime minister again in December 2022 after his Likud party formed a coalition with extremist parties, like Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power).

That gives Ben-Gvir a lot of power over Netanyahu who faces criminal charges once out of office. Ben-Gvir has not been shy about this power and warned Netanyahu that if he stopped the war in Gaza, he would dissolve the government.

“Stopping the war = dissolution of the government,” he posted at the time.

Ben-Gvir represents the fringe that has become mainstream in Israel since the beginning of the year. NPR noted that 15 years ago, he was convicted in Israeli court for inciting racism and supporting an anti-Arab movement that Israel has outlawed as a terrorist organization.

Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister, told a business conference months before the Hamas attack that he believes the Palestinian village of Hawara “needs to be wiped out” and he thinks “the State of Israel should do it.”

Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of civilian affairs in the West Bank, liked a tweet that called for Israel to show no mercy and that the “village of Hawara should be erased today.”

Few picked up on Smotrich’s comments on Sunday when he said Israel needs to completely take over Gaza.

“Giving up on Israel’s red lines and chasing after Hamas for a deal only makes the chance of bringing everyone (hostages) home further away,” he posted on X. “It’s time to learn lessons, change direction, … and restore full Israeli control all over the Gaza Strip.”

TREND FORECAST: As we have long noted, Netanyahu relies on these extremist Israelis in the Knesset to remain in charge. He faces criminal charges if his government is dissolved, so he cannot let that happen. If Ben-Gvir and Smotrich demand a major Israeli strike inside Iran, Netanyahu will deliver.