Israel’s Cabinet is due to vote on the creation of a new armed unit comprising 2,000 personnel who’ll report directly to the dept of ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

The proposal calls for the new national guard to be deployed across the country to fight “nationalist crime, terror and to strengthen governance where needed”.

Ben Gvir said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to address the matter in Cabinet on Sunday in exchange for accepting the PM’s decision to pause a controversial judicial overhaul.

Civil rights groups have expressed concern about the prospect of such a force being subordinate to Ben Gvir, fearing
it could be deployed against Palestinians or used to quell anti-government protests.

A separate national guard unit set up by the previous government is under the control of Israel’s police force.

Its existence has led critics to question the need for the new force being proposed by Ben Gvir.

Aljazeera.