In Brief: Coalition tensions as hard right minister excluded from meetings

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted some of Israel’s most senior security officials for a meeting at his office on Sunday which excluded national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

This was not the first time that the hard right nationalist Ben Gvir, whose brief includes authority over the police, has not been asked to attend top-level security meetings.

Sources told Ynet news that Ben Gvir has a habit of making “problematic proposals” in security meetings.

Instead, defence minister Yoav Gallant, IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar, and top generals joined the meeting.

Netanyahu’s office denied there was any rift between him and the police minister, while insisting the deliberations were “focused on Iran and did not deal with any internal security issues.”

A number of reports have repeatedly arisen claiming that Ben Gvir has been uninvited from several high-level meetings over fears that he will compromise such top-secret information.