‘We demolish, again and again’: Ben-Gvir films, boasts of razing 70 Palestinians’ homes in East Jerusalem

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a prominent far-right figure, filmed Israel' demolition of a five-story building in East Jerusalem that housed 70 Palestinian people and posted the footage on X on Tuesday, proclaiming: “Jerusalem is ours, the state of Israel is ours.”

Ben-Gvir regularly faces international condemnation for his provocative statements and actions toward Palestinians. In August, he declared that Israel should kill 30 to 40 Palestinians in Gaza every night. He was charged more than 50 times in his youth with incitement to hatred or violence.

At the demolition site in the Palestinian neighborhood of al-Tur, he celebrated the evacuation of the families who lived in the building. “These are my favorite images: Those that show authority being exercised in Jerusalem. For so many years, there was no authority here. There was no intervention, or very little. Today, thanks to the policy I am pursuing, we demolish, we demolish, we demolish — again and again,” he said in the video.

“Apparently, this is a five-story building where 10 families lived. How late were they still living here? Until 4:30 in the morning. Until 4:30, five families were still living here. They saw the forces arrive, understood the message and left of their own free will,” he said. His post included photos of him on the tractor that demolished the building. “What no one did in 40 years, I am doing in Jerusalem,” he added.

The far-right minister said two weeks ago, about a month before the legislative elections, that he would seek the post of defense minister in the next government. He presented a “security plan” that includes “encouraging the voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, disarming what he calls the “terrorist” Palestinian Authority and increasing support for Israeli soldiers.