Defense Minister accuses fellow minister’s driver of ‘violent behavior,’ striking security guard

A video of the event appears to show Defense Minister Gallant’s guard arguing with an individual at the entrance to a military complex.

By World Israel News Staff

Two Israeli government ministers entourage’s clashed Tuesday, leaving one injured.

Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant accused fellow Likud lawmaker Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s driver of hitting his security guard at the entrance to a military complex in central Israel on Tuesday morning.

Regev, for her part, claimed that the guard had “behaved violently.”

“He decided on his own that the minister would not enter, (and) only after an intervention and certificates (were presented) he moved aside in anger,” she added.

The Shin Bet, official employers of the guard, refuted Regev’s claims and said that her driver had, “refused to obey instructions.” It also promised to look into the event.

A Shin Bet source told Walla that, “the transportation minister’s driver refused to obey instructions and injured the leg of one of the security guards.”

“This incident, like every incident, will be investigated by the security forces. The Shin Bet rejects the allegations of violent action by the security guard, regrets the incident…,” it added.

In a separate development from today, Gallant decided against shutting down Galei Tzahal – the IDF’s radio station despite Chief of Staff Hezi Halevi and former army heads urging him to make the move. In doing so, the Defense Minister accepted the recommendation of a professional committee he had appointed.

Arutz Sheva quoted Likud MK Dan Illouz as saying that: “I read the reports that my friend, the Minister of Defense, decided not to privatize Galei Tzahal…The very existence of a military radio station that broadcasts to the general public is an attack on democracy and the freedom of the press. A military radio station is a tool found in military dictatorial regimes, not in democracies.”

“I have not found another democratic country with a military radio station that broadcasts civilian content to the general public. We are a country that has an army, not an army that has a country. The freedom of the press entails reducing the interference of government bodies in the media and is not supposed to permit government institutions, and certainly not military ones, to manage parts of the media. A free press begins with a free market,” he added.