"Yes I Carry A Gun, Deal With It", Says Israeli Far-Right Leader's Wife

Ayala, the wife of far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir, attended a meeting of potential coalition partners' wives hosted by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara, armed with a handgun.

In a defiant note following criticism of the photo taken on Monday where Ayala is seen standing next to Sara and her handgun visible, the far-right leader's wife told people that she lives in a terror-infested surrounding, her husband is the most threatened man in the country, so "deal with it".

The Monday meeting was also attended by Shas party leader Arye Dery's wife, Yaffa, Noam party's Avi Maoz's wife, Galit, and United Torah Judaism's Yitzchak Goldknopf's wife, Rivka.

"I live in Hebron, I am a mother to six sweet children, and I travel through terror-infested roads," Ha'aretz quoted Ayala writing in a tweet after the photo went viral on social media.

"I am married to my husband, the most threatened man in the country, and yes, I carry a gun. Deal with it," she wrote.

Ben-Gvir has said that he would like to become the Public Security Minister in the next government, which oversees Israeli police, a cabinet position he will most likely be accommodated with.

On Sunday, former prime minister Netanyahu was invited by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to form the next government after the Likud party won the November 1 general election.

The far-right leader has often been at loggerheads with the police, which have accused him of inciting violence in the past.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)