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Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had driven Israel’s internal security to a “historic low,” citing heavy gunfire reported in the northern Negev.
Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party, made the remarks on the U.S.-based social media platform X after residents of the Givot Bar settlement reported hearing machine-gun fire Saturday.
He said the incident brought back fears associated with the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and represented another failure by the Netanyahu government.
“Under the failed Prime Minister Netanyahu and the incompetent Minister Ben Gvir, Israel's internal security has reached a historic low,” Eisenkot wrote.
Eisenkot accused the government of failing to enforce the law across the Negev, saying criminal organizations were operating in the region while authorities had failed to restore state control.
He accused Ben-Gvir of focusing on “cheap populism” and “empty headlines” rather than professional policing and enforcement, while also criticizing Netanyahu for continuing to back him.
“Slogans are one thing—and a reality in which criminal organizations run the Negev is another,” Eisenkot said.
He also criticized the possibility of Ben-Gvir becoming defense minister, writing: “And they're still planning for him to be the Minister of Defense.”
Eisenkot said a proposed internal security plan would establish a national cabinet to combat organized crime under the prime minister.
The plan also calls for strengthening police investigative and intelligence capabilities and allocating dedicated resources to dismantle criminal organizations and combat extortion in southern Israel.
“Negev residents deserve leadership that restores security through actions, not promises,” he said.
The post referred to the proposal as Yesh Atid’s internal security plan.
Israel is scheduled to hold its Knesset election on Oct. 27.
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