Trump victory is best for Israel: Ben Gvir

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took the unusual step of endorsing Donald Trump as the next US president, saying the ex-leader’s return would bolster the chances of victory against Iran and the rest of the Axis of Resistance.

“I believe that with Trump, Israel will receive the backing to act against Iran,” the powerful minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government told Bloomberg in an interview published on 24 July. “With Trump it will be clearer that enemies must be defeated.”

Ben Gvir is the head of the Jewish Power party, which advocates ethnically cleansing Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.

Ben Gvir has been a staunch opponent of any ceasefire deal with Hamas and has threatened to leave Netanyahu’s coalition if an agreement is reached.

The minister has emphasized that destroying Gaza and establishing Jewish settlements in the place of Palestinian cities is more important than bringing home Israeli captives held by the Palestinian resistance movement.

Hamas seeks to exchange Israelis taken captive on 7 October for some of the thousands of Palestinians Israel holds captive and tortures in its prisons.

Ben Gvir also wants a full-blown war with Iran’s close ally in Lebanon. “The sooner, the better,” he says of Hezbollah.