Ben-Gvir expands gun licences to Jewish areas in Jerusalem

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has announced that residents of all Jewish neighbourhoods in occupied Jerusalem will now be eligible to obtain gun licences based solely on where they live, significantly expanding access to firearms in the city.

Ben-Gvir said Monday that residents of "all Jewish neighbourhoods" in Jerusalem would qualify for a weapons permit under the new criteria.

According to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, until now only residents living in neighbourhoods adjacent to the occupied West Bank were eligible for gun licences under this rule.

The new measure means roughly 300,000 additional Jewish residents in Jerusalem, living in 41 different neighbourhoods, will now be eligible to apply for firearms permits.

As a result, tens of thousands of Israelis who did not complete military service -  including residents of ultra-Orthodox Haredi neighbourhoods - will now qualify for gun licences.

Ben-Gvir urged residents to obtain weapons permits, claiming: "This saves lives".

"Especially during the war and during the month of Ramadan, the residents of Jerusalem have a basic right to protect themselves and their families," he added.

Over the past year, Ben-Gvir and Israeli police have expanded the number of areas whose residents qualify for gun licences based on place of residence.

Authorities have already approved permits for Israelis who did not complete military service in several cities, including Ashkelon, Tiberias, Kiryat Gat and Ashdod.

The move comes as Israel continues its war in the region and amid heightened tensions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

However, the policy has faced legal scrutiny.

Last month, Israeli authorities told the Supreme Court that flaws had been found in 195 gun licences issued during Ben-Gvir’s tenure as national security minister, and that dozens of people were ordered to return weapons they had received.

The revelation came as part of a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government and other organisations, which asked the court to cancel licences granted by employees in the National Security Ministry and the Knesset who allegedly lacked the authority to approve them.

The petition followed an investigation by Haaretz which found that the ministry had appointed staff without legal authority to approve gun permits.

A review of 1,144 licences issued during Ben-Gvir’s tenure found that many had been authorised by employees who were not formally empowered to approve them.

According to the report, some of those designated as "temporary licensing employees" were members of Ben-Gvir’s office and individuals close to him, alongside Knesset employees and national service volunteers working at the ministry.

The petition argued that weapons had been distributed without proper legal authority, rendering the licences invalid.

As part of the investigation, three employees from Ben-Gvir’s office were questioned on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust after approving firearms licences unlawfully.

Among them was David Bavli, the minister’s nominee for the position of legal adviser to the Israeli police, who allegedly approved gun permits for thousands of people.

The head of the firearms department at the National Security Ministry, Yisrael Avishar, was also questioned in the case before later resigning from his post.