Five members of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s office are being investigated by the Lahav 433 National Crime Unit over alleged unlawful issuance of firearm licenses to civilians who did not meet necessary criteria, a report said on Monday.
While the N12 report could not be independently confirmed, Ben-Gvir issued a statement confirming the report.
The report came after a police filing last week in an ongoing case in the High Court of Justice revealed that some 1,146 weapons licenses were allegedly granted by National Security Ministry staff in violation of the criteria outlined in the regulations that licensing staff were required to follow.
According to the filing, between November 8 and December 2, 2023, staff members brought on to supplement authorized National Security Ministry licensing officials issued approximately 23,000 temporary weapons licenses, including 458 licenses allegedly issued in violation of criteria they were asked to examine. In addition, of the 15,424 permanent firearms licenses issued, 688 were given in violation of the criteria.
Ben-Gvir, in the statement, called the investigation a “coup against democracy.
'Nothing was done illegally'
“Under the guidance of the attorney-general, my office staff is currently being investigated on suspicion of distributing weapons, and the investigation is being conducted by an officer I dismissed,” Ben-Gvir said.
The minister filed a request that the officer in question, Ch.-Supt. Keren Toledano, be removed from the case since she was not promoted by Ben-Gvir in a recent round of promotions.
“There is no basis for the suspicion. Nothing was done illegally,” Ben-Gvir continued.
“There is a political attorney-general and state prosecutor from head to toe, trying to fabricate cases and stage a coup against the right-wing government. These are the same people who conducted a political and selective investigation against [former prime minister’s aide Eli] Feldstein and wanted to open a criminal investigation against me for ‘incitement against the residents of Gaza.’“I declare here: You will not intimidate me; I am proud of the firearms reform, and I do not intend to allow the continuation of the coup by the attorney-general and the state prosecutor,” Ben-Gvir said.
Ben-Gvir argued in a press conference before his Otzma Yehudit party’s weekly meeting at the Knesset last week that Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara had sent one of her deputies to Lahav 433 with a demand “to find something against Ben-Gvir.”
The national security minister said his source was an “attorney” with a “guilty conscience.” He did not provide proof of his claim, and the Attorney-General’s Office released a statement soon after saying the claim was completely false.
“The serious suspicions revealed today against employees of Minister Ben-Gvir’s office are part of a chain of systemic failures,” the Movement for Quality Government in Israel said in response to the report.
“Just this week, in response to our petition, it was revealed that over 1,100 firearms licenses were illegally granted, and now it turns out that there are suspicions that members of the minister’s office gave priority to cronies, circumventing the procedures.
“We call on the police and the State Prosecutor’s Office to investigate this grave matter, including whether the minister himself bears responsibility. We also demand that the state act immediately to suspend all illegally issued licenses and to collect the weapons. This is an immediate danger to public safety, and we must not wait a single day longer.”