Regendans"Even then, the sense was that Ben-Gvir had only just exceeded expectations of otherwise justifiable conduct. He was, after all, responding to terrorist sympathisers and “provocateurs”. Furthermore, Netanyahu could never profess ignorance of Ben-Gvir’s scorpion sting, coming from a repulsive creature convicted of 13 criminal offences, including publishing incitement to racism, expressing identification with a terror group, possessing propaganda material of a terror group, participating in a riot and defacing property.
Prior to the elections in March 2021, Netanyahu told Channel 12 that the future minister in his cabinet was “not fit” for ministerial duties. When the interviewer pressed the PM on whether he considered Ben-Gvir a racist, Netanyahu blandly responded that, “His positions are not mine.” The Israeli PM is, however, a man who puts gritty political survival above keen principle, an approach that has ensured him a remarkable longevity in politics. His bigotry, no less felt than the far-right ministers he courts, is worn with softer, more acceptable shades.
Ben-Gvir, basking in the hot spotlight, is understandably confident in his survival as a member of the cabinet."