National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted extraordinary footage of himself confronting Hassan Salamah, the imprisoned Ham*s operative convicted of orchestrating two 1996 Jerusalem bus bombings that killed 48 people.
“I want to kill you. I want to put you to death,” Ben Gvir told him directly.
For Ben Gvir, the confrontation brought the story full circle. He recalled protesting the deadly bombings as a teenager. Now, three decades later, he is Israel’s National Security Minister and said the encounter gave him “closure,” adding that he is able to pursue policies that have made Salamah’s life behind bars significantly harsher.
The 45 people murdered in those bombings were ordinary civilians who began their day with no idea they would never make it home. Their deaths left behind families whose lives were permanently changed.
Ben Gvir’s words and his push for the death penalty for convicted terrorists remain politically controversial. His anger over the attacks, however, echoes sentiments expressed by many Israelis over the years, particularly those who lost loved ones to terrorism.
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