National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is preparing for cabinet approval a proposal to establish a National Guard, and according to News12, Ben Gvir’s National Guard will introduce far-reaching changes in the security system, including taking the Home Front Command out of the IDF, subordinating it to the Guard.
Needless to say, Ben Gvir’s plan will be met with resistance, not to mention scorn and derision, especially on the part of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the IDF brass. However, in light of the security apparatus’s appalling failure to provide safety for Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, they may need more than scorn and derision to shoot down Ben Gvir’s new ideas.
According to News12, Ben Gvir wants to rename the Border Guard as “National Guard,” and order Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to transfer 2,000 IDF reserve personnel to it. The Guard will also absorb 28,000 standby squad volunteers.
Another plan: in 45 days, Ben Gvir will revamp the internal security forces’ rules of engagement, designating different states of preparedness for different situations.
SCARING THE IDF BRASS OUT OF THE BOX
Ben Gvir will also propose to establish a team led by the Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, with representatives of Defense, the IDF, National Security, Israel Police, and the NSA, to examine several issues, including:
- Transferring the Home Front Command to the National Security Ministry
- Transferring of the authority to recruit National Guard reserves from the Defense Minister to the National Security Minister
- Recommend an increase in the percentage of conscripted servicemen in the National Guard
- Recommend the expansion in the next two years of the tasks IDF battalions carry out under the command of the police
- Assign to IDF unites the handling of riots, and train them accordingly
“The team will submit its recommendations to the Prime Minister within 14 days. Within 30 days, a supplementary government decision will be made on this matter,” Ben Gvir wrote, according to News12.
Finally, the National Security Ministry will appoint a project coordinator to chaperon the establishment of the National Guard, with assistance from the relevant government ministries, and to follow up on the implementation of the government’s decisions regarding the new National Guard.
