National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir delivered remarks on Monday at the start of the Otzma Yehudit faction meeting, and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop what he called "the routine of terrorism" in northern Israel.
Ben-Gvir demanded that Netanyahu pressure US President Donald Trump to resume the war at full intensity and to announce the creation of a new security perimeter in southern Lebanon.
The Minister opened his remarks by describing the tough security reality facing the residents of northern Israel. He warned against the dangers of attempting to reach diplomatic agreements instead of a clear military victory. "Sirens, UAVs, explosive drones, this reality may not be accepted and may not be normalized," he attacked. "We already know how it ends when we tolerate and adapt to a routine of terrorism. Not this time. This absurdity must stop now."
Later in his remarks, Ben-Gvir laid out a list of demands. "I call on the Prime Minister - pick up a phone, call Trump, go to him, and bang on his desk. Make clear that the State of Israel is not ready to accept and is not ready to tolerate. Make clear that we don't want to continue campaigns, but rather win them."
According to Ben-Gvir, "We need to turn off the electricity in Lebanon, to shut the switch, to occupy up to the Zaharani River, and even more than that, and to resume the intense war. If the Lebanese government can't control the terrorists, the territory south of the Litani River, and more than that, south of the Zaharani, will become the State of Israel's security perimeter. We have to tell the residents of southern Lebanon the truth: you're not going home. You won't return home until there is quiet by us."
The National Security Minister concluded his remarks by directly addressing the Prime Minister, emphasizing his confidence in the military's abilities: "The security of the residents of northern Israel is not on the negotiating table; it is in the IDF's operations. The IDF can and must win. The time has come to win, the time has come for total victory. And I tell the Prime Minister with all the love I have for him: we must win in Lebanon too."
Ben-Gvir also discussed the possibility of running together with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party in the upcoming elections and said that "we must maximize the right-wing votes."
According to Ben-Gvir, "Bezalel must run as the Religious Zionist party. I believe and know that he can pass the electoral threshold."