Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is allowing the far-right ministers in his cabinet to undermine Israel's international authority, writes "Times of Israel" political correspondent Tal Schneider. In a commentary for the publication, she points out that the harsh rhetoric of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, combined with the prime minister's silence, is increasingly isolating the country even from its traditional allies.
On Friday, June 19, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted one of his most extreme and provocative tweets yet. Insisting that "1,000 Lebanese mothers cry" for every Israeli soldier or officer killed by Hezbollah fire, he declared: "All of Lebanon must burn".
Israeli army soldiers are currently operating deep inside Lebanon to protect communities in northern Israel. They are on foreign soil because the Israeli government and security cabinet - which includes Ben Gwir - have chosen a proactive offensive strategy over a purely defensive stance along the international border. Yet Ben Gwir writes as if this escalation has occurred in a vacuum, calling for "annihilation", "defeat" and "punishing all of Lebanon to burn".
Even more alarming is the collective indifference. Once again, Ben Gvir has made outrageous insults, and local analysts have dismissed them as domestic political posturing, smiled cynically, and moved on.
This indifference extends to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his senior ministers - notably Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Defense Minister Israel Katz, neither of whom has bothered to distance himself from the remarks, let alone condemn them.
The only one to rise to the challenge and respond to the rhetoric was former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in response to British TV host Piers Morgan. Bennett, however, merely stated that Ben Gvir is a clown who should not be taken seriously - an argument that carries little weight abroad.
In any case, two days later, the damage from the shocking publication is already irreversible. Even X (formerly Twitter) declared Ben Gvir’s remarks a violation of its platform’s rules (but still didn’t remove the tweet).
The world no longer treats extremist ministers in the Israeli government with the leniency it once did.
Even the US administration is no longer inclined to turn a blind eye. In a series of interviews and speeches over the weekend, US Vice President J.D. Vance explicitly targeted radical elements in the government. These remarks were made even before the “All of Lebanon should burn” tweet, but Ben Gvir felt no need to exercise restraint.
Here’s part of what Vance said: "People in their system, like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, attacked the [US-Iran] deal. My response to them would be: what exactly is your proposal? You can't just get away with murdering every national security problem you have."
Ben Gvir's tweet, although written in Hebrew, has garnered over 18 million views. It was shared by Morgan, who has been one of the most prominent international voices in support of Israel since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023.
Ben Gvir's tweet was weaponized by Republican politicians in the United States as well as by forces openly hostile to Israel. Yet no one in Jerusalem bothered to issue a rebuttal.
In the international arena, such remarks are unforgivable. No one abroad believes the claim that "it's just Ben Gvir" or that "confronting him will only boost his popularity." These explanations belong entirely to the domestic Israeli discourse. All over the world, people simply hear a senior Israeli minister calling for the burning of a neighboring country. When the prime minister is silent, the world concludes that silence is acquiescence.
This is part of a trend. Last month, Ben Gvir posted a video on Twitter showing him walking among pro-Palestinian activists detained on the intercepted Global Sumud aid flotilla bound for Gaza. In the footage, a police officer beats and humiliates a detainee who shouted “Free Palestine.” The violent clip quickly became a headline on major news sites around the world.
By then, Saar, who had hoped to take credit for the clean and orderly operation to deport the flotilla’s detainees, found himself under widespread international attack because of Ben Gvir. Saar distanced himself from the incident, which prompted a barrage of insults from Ben Gvir in response.
This time, Saar is silent. Perhaps he too is exhausted by the minister’s dishonest foreign policy, lacking the energy to confront a cabinet partner whom Saar deliberately chose to support when he rejoined the coalition last year.
The diplomatic fallout from Israel goes far beyond Ben Gvir. As Vance noted, the United States is virtually alone in its global support for Israel. Does Jerusalem simply fail to understand this?
Netanyahu’s stated policy was to separate the war in Lebanon from the broader conflict with Iran. That strategy has failed. Iran now threatens to suspend negotiations with the United States every time Israel strikes in Lebanon, effectively driving a wedge between Washington and Jerusalem.
This rift will only deepen as the U.S. midterm elections approach. In recent political cycles, candidates for Congress and the Senate have won or lost races largely based on their stance on Israel.
Yet, instead of restoring order at home, Netanyahu continues to bury his head in the sand.
Last week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unilaterally announced the abrogation of the 1997 Hebron Protocol, claiming that it would strip the Palestinian municipality of its zoning authority in the city’s Jewish enclave. He did so while Defense Minister Katz sat right next to him, applauding the move.
Smotrich’s declaration is not backed by a government decision. There was no cabinet discussion, nor was there any diplomatic assessment of its impact on Israel’s foreign relations.
Instead, the only response was a weak statement in English, published on the Foreign Ministry’s official X account, in which the ministry quietly distanced itself from the decision.
What is happening to the two extremist ministers appointed by Netanyahu to the most sensitive posts in the country? They act as if their express goal is to destroy Israel’s global authority, layer by layer, exacerbating the nation’s exile status.
But the ultimate responsibility does not lie with Smotrich and Ben Gvir. It lies with the man who appointed them, kept them in office, and, while they do enormous strategic damage to Israel’s international support and vital interests, remains silent.