(Oct. 22, 2026 / JNS)
In the run-up to Israel’s Oct. 27 general election, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for Israeli control over the Gaza Strip and tougher measures against terrorists.
Speaking at Hangar 11 at the Tel Aviv Port at an Oct. 12 event hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon, Ben-Gvir addressed an English-speaking audience alongside Otzma Yehudit Knesset candidate Yishai Fleisher, international spokesperson for the Jewish community of Hebron. Throughout the evening, Fleisher translated the minister’s Hebrew remarks into English.
Asked by JNS about security in Israel, he acknowledged that he could not guarantee the prevention of future terrorist attacks but argued that his policies had improved public safety.
He cited the establishment of more than 1,000 civilian emergency response teams, a National Guard and the recruitment of 4,000 additional police officers, telling JNS that those measures, together with changes to security-prisoner conditions, made Israelis “much, much safer today.”
“But I still haven’t completed all the work, and not everything is perfect,” he added.
According to figures presented by Israel Police Cmdr. Nir Carmeli to the Knesset’s National Security Committee in May, the number of civilian emergency response teams increased from 70 before Oct. 7, 2023, to 1,060 as of May 2026, comprising approximately 13,500 volunteers.
During his address, Ben-Gvir called for Israeli control over the entire Gaza Strip, arguing that the territory belongs to Israel. He also advocated voluntary Palestinian emigration from Gaza and Judea and Samaria. His proposal for encouraging emigration from Gaza, known as “Disengagement 710,” was outlined in his party’s September election platform.
The event provided attendees, including English-speaking immigrants, an opportunity to hear from the minister and ask questions about his security policies ahead of the Oct. 27 vote.
‘Ben-Gvir is not facing west. He’s facing east’
Asked by JNS about international criticism of Ben-Gvir, Fleisher said the minister’s focus was on confronting jihadism.
“Minister Ben-Gvir is not facing west. He’s facing east,” he said.
He added that people in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom who seek to push back against jihad look to Ben-Gvir as an example.
Shimon Rozen, an attendee who immigrated to Israel three years ago, told JNS: “I think Ben-Gvir is grossly misunderstood. So I wanted to listen to him and his party firsthand, without an intermediary.”
Rozen said he has “bare minimum” Hebrew and cannot follow Israeli television news.
He described the difficulties of following Israeli politics without Hebrew proficiency and expressed concern that political parties were not doing enough to explain Israel’s parliamentary system to new immigrants.
During his remarks, Ben-Gvir described what he characterized as overly lenient prison conditions for terrorists, including access to basketball, soccer and candy, to justify his changes to prison policy. Ben-Gvir began restricting certain privileges in Israeli prisons after taking office as national security minister, with further restrictions imposed following Oct. 7, 2023.
Ben-Gvir said he subsequently eliminated privileges including certain recreational activities, academic studies and extensive food options.
“Why wouldn’t they think it’s worth it to be terrorists?” he asked, referring to what he characterized as excessively comfortable prison conditions.
Ahead of the election, Ben-Gvir has sought the position of defense minister in the next government, a demand he publicly announced in September.
Throughout the evening, he focused on his security record, while Fleisher emphasized outreach to English-speaking immigrants ahead of the election.
For Rozen, the evening also highlighted a concern extending beyond a single political party: whether Israeli politicians were doing enough to engage immigrants who struggle to follow political developments in Hebrew.
According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 21,000 new immigrants arrived in Israel between Independence Day 2025 and Independence Day 2026.
“I think a lot of politicians are sleeping on the olim hadashim (new immigrants),” Rozen said.