Knesset considers establishing a civilian guard emergency unit, similar to local municipalities
The Knesset is considering establishing a standby squad that will consist of Knesset employees who will carry weapons, patrol and assist in the event of a security incident, according to an announcement on Thursday morning.
According to employees in the Israeli parliament, this is an initiative of Knesset CEO Chiko Adri, who asked managers to find suitable employees who would carry weapons and be able to help in the event of a security incident.
The Knesset Guard, an armed body with policing and security powers is already operating at the Knesset.
The Knesset stated in response to the publication that "as a general rule, the Knesset does not publicly share its security considerations."
Two days ago, on Tuesday, an announcement was made regarding the establishment of a dedicated Knesset "war room" to handle citizens' requests for firearms licenses. This is a current pilot program that will operate for the next month, and if successful - the Knesset will continue to operate the "war room."
The pilot was created after Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who approached Knesset Member, Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, and offered the help of some Knesset workers, whose daily work is less necessary during the war, to handle the huge demand for issuing weapons licenses, which has increased dramatically since Oct. 7.
According to Ohana's plan proposed plan, about 40 non-essential Knesset workers from all departments, agreed to handle approximately 100,000 new applications to obtain a gun license that have been submitted since the beginning of the war.
This article original appeared in Hebrew on kan.org.il and is translated and posted with permission.
