Social media accounts posted a video clip of a verbal altercation between former Israeli Defense Minister Omer Barlev and current Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The clip was accompanied by a translation of what the accounts claimed was Ben-Gvir’s response to the question: “Why did you provoke Iran?” According to the circulated translation, Ben-Gvir replied: “We did not realize that Iran’s missile capabilities were this powerful.”
Kashif verified the video via Google Images search and found it to be old and the accompanying translation misleading. The clip was circulated in March 2022, following the Hadera operation, and has no connection to the military escalation between Israel and Iran.
The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom posted a video clip on its video platform on 27 March 2022, accompanied by the following description: “Ben Gvir confronts Barlev at the site of the attack in Hadera.” The newspaper explained that “Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir interrupted Public Security Minister Omer Barlev’s speech at the site of the attack in Hadera, saying: ‘You should be ashamed of yourself. You talk about settler violence while Jews are being killed.’”
The Israeli-Hebrew affairs team at Kashif verified the translation attached to the circulated clip and found it to be misleading. Ben-Gvir did not say the statement attributed to him regarding Iran’s missile capabilities, but rather emphasized the failure and negligence of Omer Barlev after an operation took place in the city of Hadera , between Tel Aviv and Haifa, on 27 March 2022, which resulted in the death of two police officers and the injury of three others.
Kashif verified a video of the same incident, filmed from another angle, on 20 November 2023. Its publishers then attributed a false statement to Ben Gvir, which read: “The PA’s security services work for Israel’s security, and have achieved more security accomplishments than the Shin Bet during your tenure. You did not exploit the information Hussein al-Sheikh provided you with about the infiltration of three terrorists into Tel Aviv and the possibility of a security incident.”
| Sources of Claim | Sources of Verification |
| Moroccan deterrent Mo Al Masoud Al Ain Press alainpress Ali Hussein Mahdi Technocrat Party Egypt Wael Jalil Hisham Ali Kamel Abidalkhader An-Iraq | Israel Hayom Israel Hayom Translated by Israeli-Hebrew Affairs Team at Kashif 48 Arabs Kashf Observatory Kashf Observatory |