Israeli Cabinet Approves Controversial National Guard Led by Ben Gvir

Israel's cabinet has approved the establishment of a "national guard" led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, which would deal with "emergency scenarios, nationalistic crime, terror, and strengthening sovereignty". The force would operate under Ben-Gvir's ministry and would be funded by major budget cuts across ministries. Critics warn that Ben-Gvir could use the force of around 2,000 troops specifically against anti-government demonstrators or the Palestinian and Arab population. Opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed the cuts in health, education and security budgets to allocate money to what he's called Ben-Gvir's "private army".