Israeli Knesset member waves gun in east Jerusalem
Ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir is exploiting an incident in which he brandished a gun in the east Jerusalem Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood ahead of the Nov. 1 elections.
On Oct. 13, ultranationalist Knesset Member Itamar Ben Gvir was caught on camera pulling out his gun in east Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The incident generated commotion in the media, which might have been what motivated Ben Gvir to begin with.
Sheikh Jarrah has become a major pressure point in Jewish-Arab relations in Jerusalem, with Palestinians throwing rocks at Jewish passersby and Jewish settlers provoking Palestinian activists. Ben Gvir often shows up in such volatile places and even set up a makeshift office in the neighborhood, at the ancient tomb of Simon the Just. As a member of Knesset, Ben Gvir has immunity, which makes it difficult to remove him.
The Oct. 13 gun incident took place following news that Palestinians had hit Jewish worshipers with stones. Ben Gvir rushed to the neighborhood, and then accused Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Minister of Internal Security Omer Bar Lev of incompetence and cowardice. “Instead of shooting the assailants or at least arresting them, the police made do with pushing them back,” Ben Gvir complained.
Then, claiming he felt threatened, Ben Gvir pulled out his gun. Police tried to remove him from the site, which provided Ben Gvir with exactly the image he wanted. Within minutes, photos and video clips of Ben Gvir with his gun became a hit on social media.
