Ben Gvir bars Jewish anti-Zionist movement from carrying guns
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has ordered the exclusion of an anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox community from carrying personal firearms in Beit Shemesh, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Monday.
According to the report, the far-right minister extended his gun reform to Beit Shemesh, a city near Jerusalem with a large ultra-Orthodox population, easing regulations to allow more residents to carry firearms.
In October 2023, Israel approved new regulations that significantly loosened the requirements for civilians to acquire firearms.
Israel Hayom reported that since Ben Gvir took office, some 300,000 Israeli citizens have been granted gun licences, while residents of more than 200 communities, towns and cities across Israel are now eligible to obtain a firearm licence.
While most Beit Shemesh residents would be able to obtain gun licences under the expansion, the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox community Neturei Karta was excluded.
Eligibility for the expanded gun licensing scheme was determined by residents’ addresses, with the Israeli police and Ben Gvir’s office excluding the streets where members of Neturei Karta reside.
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"I am proud to continue the weapons reform and expand it to Beit Shemesh as well," the minister told the Israeli newspaper, adding that "the residents of Beit Shemesh, like all citizens of the State of Israel who love the State of Israel, have a basic right to defend themselves and their family members".
The number of communities eligible for firearm licences has increased by 126 in 2026 alone, according to Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.
Ben Gvir vowed to further "expand the weapons reform, add more cities, towns and neighbourhoods to eligibility, and ensure that as many citizens as possible can defend themselves and the State of Israel".
"My policy is clear: weapons in the right hands save lives," Ben Gvir said, repeating a comment he has repeatedly made in recent years.
Anti-Zionist community
In his comment to Israel Hayom, Ben Gvir also referred to the Neturei Karta community living in Beit Shemesh.
Neturei Karta - Aramaic for guardians of the city - is an anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox community that believes a Jewish state should not exist until the coming of the messiah. Members of the fringe group regularly advocate for Palestinian causes while avoiding connection to Israeli authorities.
"Whoever prides himself with the PLO [Palestinian Liberation Front] flag and takes photos with terrorists is an enemy, and therefore the neighbourhoods of the extremists have been excluded from eligibility for weapons," the Israeli minister said.
In June, the Times of Israel reported that the number of firearm licence applications had risen sharply since the end of 2023. At the time, some 260,000 applications had been filed, compared with more than 400,000 as of June last year.
According to data revealed by Haaretz last year, around 170,000 Israelis held a firearm licence before Ben Gvir was appointed to head the national security ministry. The number has since more than doubled after he eased gun licensing regulations.
Experts have warned about the ramifications of putting more weapons in the hands of Israeli citizens, pointing to rising violence against Palestinians and women. At the same time, Ben Gvir’s gun regulations systematically exclude Palestinian citizens of Israel, none of whom are allowed to obtain a firearm licence.
In the first half of 2026, more than 1,000 settler attacks against Palestinians causing injury or property damage were recorded, affecting more than 230 communities, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
According to the Israel Democracy Institute, an independent research centre, Ben Gvir's gun reform "primarily serves Israel's Jewish citizens, at times while creating a threat to and endangering those who are not Jewish".
In March, Ben Gvir announced that all Israeli Jewish residents of Jerusalem, including those in occupied East Jerusalem, would be eligible to carry a gun, making 300,000 Israelis eligible to carry firearms in the capital.
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