Ben-Gvir authorises more gun permits for Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank

Israel's extremist national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has expanded his firearms policy to cover more illegal Israeli settlements, authorising the issuance of gun permits to settlers across the occupied West Bank.

The decision applies to settlements in the northern, central and southern West Bank, as well as the settlement of Goder in the Jordan Valley, effectively enabling settlers living on occupied land to obtain personal firearms licences.

The move was presented by the minister as a way to "strengthen self-defence, boost personal security and reinforce settlement emergency response teams", despite a documented surge in settler violence against Palestinians in the territory.

In a statement published on his Telegram channel, Ben-Gvir said more than 240,000 Israelis have now received gun permits, compared with around 8,000 in previous years, describing the expansion as "unprecedented". He also urged settlers to arm themselves, claiming that "weapons save lives".

The firearms policy was first introduced in late 2023 following the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza and immediately sparked controversy, including after a series of accidental shootings inside Israel.

The occupied West Bank has since witnessed a sharp rise in settler attacks on Palestinians, including shootings, physical assaults, the destruction of homes and farmland, and killings, often carried out with impunity.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli settlers carried out more than 1,800 attacks in the West Bank, an average of nearly five attacks per day, resulting in casualties and widespread property damage.

At least 240 Palestinians were killed across the West Bank in 2025, including 55 children, with a number of the deaths attributed to armed Israeli settlers.

The expansion of gun permits comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, backed by far-right coalition partners, accelerates plans to entrench Israel’s settlement enterprise in the occupied territory. This includes advancing the long-delayed E1 settlement project and pushing ahead with further expansion around Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and Ramallah.

The number of illegal settlements and outposts has doubled since 2022, despite the International Court of Justice ruling in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful and calling for an end to settlement activity, the evacuation of settlers, and reparations to Palestinians.