Ben Gvir Calls to Arrest Abbas, Lift Immunity from Palestinian Authority Officials 

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir escalated his rhetoric on Monday, calling for the arrest of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the lifting of immunity for senior PA officials, amid growing international discussion of establishing a Palestinian state.

Speaking at the opening of a meeting of his far-right “Jewish Power” bloc, Ben-Gvir said recent days had seen “an alarming increase” in statements by world leaders regarding Palestinian statehood — a concept he vowed to oppose “under any circumstances,” according to the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot.

Ben-Gvir warned that none of the Palestinian Authority leadership enjoys immunity, delivering a direct message to Abbas and other PA officials. He said that if Israel or the United Nations were to recognize a Palestinian state, Israeli authorities should issue orders for “precise assassinations” targeting top PA figures and proceed with the arrest of Abbas.

He went further, claiming that “a solitary confinement cell is already prepared” for Abbas at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel.