Taking advantage of the widening circle of protests in Israel, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced his agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone judicial amendments in exchange for an increase in the budget of the Ministry of National Security and the approval of the establishment of the so-called "National Guard".

The announcement of the establishment of the "National Guard" came after Ben Gvir threatened to withdraw from the government and overthrow it, as he took advantage of the escalating protests in Israel against the amendments to the judiciary to blackmail Netanyahu, as opinion polls showed the latter's popularity declined and the possibility of forming a government was ruled out in the event of new elections for the Knesset.

The idea of the "National Guard" crystallized in the Israeli mentality after the outbreak of the "Gift of Dignity" in May 2021, after strikes inside Israel and confrontations that erupted with 48 Palestinians who came out to defend themselves after settler gangs carried out large-scale attacks on Palestinian towns inside and mixed coastal cities.

The National Guard is part of the government's move "to form a comprehensive system to restore personal security in Israeli communities and a sense of security and safety for Jews, collect illegal weapons, and license to carry weapons for Jews."

Under the plan, the National Guard teams, which will be under the command of the Minister of National Security, will be composed of volunteers, security personnel and former soldiers, whose activity and work will be mostly to confront Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and inside the 48 territories, and coastal cities mixed with Arabs and Jews, in order to suppress and quell any popular uprising that may be launched, such as the "Gift of Dignity" that took place in May 2021.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (center) will oversee National Guard command (Al Jazeera)

Israeli Consensus

The idea of establishing a "National Guard" and armed militias enjoys a near Israeli consensus, as the plan is not limited to the agenda and ideology of Ben Gvir and the Alliance of Religious Zionism headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The Likud party and its leader Netanyahu, when he was in the opposition, had previously developed a plan to establish armed militias operating inside the Green Line, in parallel with the security and police forces inside Israel.

In June 2022, Bennett's government approved the IRGC's plan as a militia supporting the Border Police and a police arm, which was approved at the time by former Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev and supported by Police Inspector General Kobi Shabtai, but did not come into effect due to early elections.

As clashes between Palestinians and Israelis intensified inside Lod, an armed militia of West Bank settlers stormed the city with the aim of suppressing and deterring Palestinians, where Musa Hassouna, 31, was killed by settler gangs.

The same role was played by the New Guard militia, which operated in the Negev region similar to the Zionist gangs, to provide support to the so-called "Jewish National Fund" to seize the lands of the Palestinian Bedouins in the Negev and impose the so-called "sovereignty and order."

To impose a fait accompli policy, a member of Ben-Gvir's Jewish Greatness party in March 2022 established an armed civilian militia in the Beersheba area called the Barel militia, which has its own equipment, weapons, and patrols, and opens its doors to Jewish volunteers to enforce security and safety in the Negev.

Border Police forces will concentrate most of their activities in Palestinian communities inside the Green Line and Jerusalem (Al-Jazeera).

Armed militia

The National Guard plan, prepared by Ben Gvir, is based on a plan prepared by Netanyahu himself when he was head of the opposition during the Bennett government, with advice and coordination with retired Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, to create armed militias of former civilian, security and military Jews, who will operate independently alongside the Border Guard forces.

Ben Gvir has consistently included the National Guard clause in the coalition agreement to form a government signed between the Likud party and his Jewish Greatness party, but Netanyahu has stalled and refrained from approving the plan in the cabinet.

Netanyahu's delay in approving the plan of the "National Guard" led by Ben Gvir, due to the opposition expressed by large circles of the security services, police and reserve officers, to the formation of armed militias directly subordinate to Ben Gvir and his powers, as these militias were described as "Ben Gvir's army."

According to the coalition agreement signed between Likud and Ben Gvir's party, the Defense Ministry will receive an additional budget of NIS 45 billion ($13 billion) over seven years to fund National Guard divisions launched under the pretext of restoring security, safety and personal safety to the streets of Israel.

The initial financial cost of launching the National Guard plan is about NIS 111 million ($32 million) and is transferred as a one-time budget, in addition to NIS 61 million ($17.4 million) an annual budget, in addition to increasing the pensions of police officers, increasing the number of officers and recruiting 4,<> new police officers.

Ben Gvir's plan calls for restructuring the Border Guard and establishing armed militias under his command that rely mainly on civilians, operating independently of the police and reporting directly to the minister, who oversees the distribution of tasks and powers, appointments, and orders.

National Guard Forces to Rely on Border Guard Personnel (Al Jazeera)

Repression of protests

Ben-Gvir's plan aims to transform Border Police units into a Quick Response Corps in Israel's emergency, recruiting thousands of weapon-trained civilians from National Guard units, nearly doubling the Border Guard force.

According to the plan, the border guard forces would be separated from the police service, included in the National Guard and transformed into an independent body reporting directly to the minister of national security, rather than to the inspector general of police as currently accustomed.

The National Guard units are based on several vehicles, most notably the regular border guard force, which today includes 8,46 fighters, as well as 5 reserve companies with 300,<> fighters, and <> volunteer policemen.

According to the plan, the National Guard would respond not only to suppress protests and demonstrations, but would also work to help on the home front in emergency situations, such as an earthquake, natural disasters, and rocket falls.

The National Guard will provide deterrence at the public level, against those planning violent disturbances and disturbances of public order, and will enable the police to focus on their traditional routine tasks, which are often disrupted by frequent riots and emergencies.