Ben-Gvir’s visit to Bedouin city targeted in apparent bomb plot

Mayor of Bedouin city clashes with Israel’s national security minister during police crackdown, hours after bomb found in city hall.

By World Israel News Staff

An explosive device was found in the city hall of a Bedouin municipality in southern Israel on Wednesday morning, ahead of a visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit).

The bomb was found in the city hall compound of Rahat, home to some 80,000 members of Israel’s Bedouin community, amid a massive police operation in southern Israel to crack down on organized crime, illegal construction, and the illegal use and ownership of unauthorized firearms.

Police suspect that Bedouin mafias were tipped off regarding the upcoming police operation and planted the bomb in response, likely as a message to the city’s mayor.

More than 1,000 police officers took part in the sweep in Rahat and neighboring Bedouin towns, seizing over 60 vehicles valued at over 20 million shekels combined.

The crackdown comes following multiple high-profile incidents of gunshots hitting homes in the nearby Jewish town of Omer, apparently the result of illegal gunfire during weddings in and around Rahat.

At a press conference in Lehavim, Ben-Gvir said that the operation was a step towards restoring the enforcement of Israeli law, which he said has not been maintained in the area in recent years.

“We’re doing things here that haven’t been done in many years. We are entering Rahat and the surrounding villages — asserting sovereignty, governance, and enforcement of Israeli law,” Ben-Gvir said.

During the police operation in Rahat, Ben-Gvir joined officers on the scene, where he was confronted by the city’s mayor, Talal Al Krenawi, who demanded that police halt the demolition of illegal buildings in the Bedouin city.

“Why are you demolishing houses? Stop demolishing houses. This city is not yours,” Al Krenawi said.

“We will continue demolishing everything that is illegal,” Ben-Gvir fired back.

Referencing the abortive bombing earlier that day, Al Krenawi said, “Five hundred [city] employees could have been killed today, and this is what matters to you?”

Later, Ben-Gvir issued a statement defending Wednesday’s operation as well as the broader crackdown on illegal construction.

“Today I arrived in Rahat as part of a large operation against criminal activity, together with significant police and enforcement forces, including tractors carrying out major enforcement actions on the ground.

“The mayor shouted that we are systematically demolishing homes, and I told him — we will demolish everything that is illegal,” he stated.

“We are doing what hasn’t been done for years — entering the heart of the towns and villages, acting with determination and consistency to restore governance in the Negev and strengthen security.”