National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir revealed on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had offered him the position of foreign minister, but he declined.
“The Prime Minister offered me the position of foreign minister—but I refused,” Ben-Gvir claimed during a visit to the town of Omer, an eastern suburb of Beersheba. “I only wanted to be a minister responsible for the police.”
Ben-Gvir toured Omer to address residents’ ongoing concerns over deteriorating public safety in the area, citing incidents of gunfire, theft, and reckless driving. His visit included a private meeting with Omer Regional Council head Erez Badash before he addressed the community.
“There has been neglect here for 30 years,” Ben-Gvir said, but added that things are now changing for the better.
"The police are taking action, striving for contact, conducting searches—and we are recruiting more officers. When I arrived, there were 43 emergency standby squads. Today, there are 1,044. There is an excellent emergency standby squad here in Omer, but it needs to be increased.”
Ben-Gvir pointed to improvements in the town’s security situation.
“You are entitled to not hear any gunshots at all. It’s not 100%, but it needs to be reduced—and we are doing it,” he said. “Thefts here have decreased—four incidents a month. I want more governance. The noise of the mosques, the roads—you can’t want to win the lottery without filling out a form. File complaints.”
Residents share concerns and personal experiences
During the meeting, residents shared personal experiences, including an incident where a resident's daughter was attacked with rocks, and the police allegedly did nothing. Ben-Gvir urged residents to contact him directly and ensure complaints are filed and followed through.
Addressing concerns about potential attacks, Ben-Gvir mentioned the establishment of standby classes and expressed openness to easing gun permit rules for Omer residents, stating, "If the recommendations are good—I’m open to it."
“I don’t rule out giving relief to the issuance of weapons here to Omer. It’s a process. If the recommendations are positive—I don’t rule it out.”
Ben-Gvir ended his remarks with a personal note on his own political path: “They tried to assassinate me five times. I didn’t go from zero to a hundred—slowly, more and more progress. Today, police officers know that when they implement my policies, they are making progress. What is my country’s sovereignty? Governance.”