Who Is Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Far-Right Minister Stirring Controversy In US?
On Wednesday, Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, participated in a dinner at Mar-a-Lago resort in the United States. Following the dinner at US president Donald Trump’s estate, Ben- Gvir posted on X that the Republican Party officials he met supported bombing food and aid depots in Gaza.
When the far-right minister reached Shabtai, a Jewish society based at Yale University, protests led by the student organisation, Yalies4Palestine, broke out in the campus. Major American Jewish organizations reportedly distanced themselves from his visit.
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The national security minister of Israel, who has consistently advocated for a aggressive military strategy in Gaza, returned to his post in March, two months after his resignation over the recent ceasefire deal with Hamas. He always opposed the negotiations with the Palestinian group and even threatened the collapse of the government if a deal happened without completely eliminating Hamas. Ben-Gvir made the comeback into the cabinet after the resumption of the military operation in Gaza, ending the two-month ceasefire.
Known for his hardline politics against Palestinians, Ben-Gvir came into mainstream politics in Israel, helping Benjamin Netanyahu to form the coalition government in 2022. He secured his cabinet berth after his Jewish Power Party played a crucial role in forming what is widely considered the most right-wing government in the history of Israel.
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Since he joined the cabinet, Ben-Gvir sparked several controversies drawing international condemnation due to his extreme views. He made headline with provocative entering of sensitive religious places multiple times, especially the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the two most revered mosques of Muslims in the world. During the 2022 election campaign, the photographs of Ben-Gvir pointing a pistol at Palestinian protesters also stirred controversy.
Ben-Gvir was known for his extremist views even before coming to mainstream politics. Due to his hairline views in his teenage years, Ben-Gvir was banned from compulsory military service. According to a report by news agency AP, he has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting terrorist organizatios.
In 2022, the Biden administration publicly condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit to the memorial of Meir Kahane, a far-right rabbi and founder of the now-banned Kach party, whom Ben-Gvir admired in his youth. Kahane’s movement was outlawed in Israel and designated a terrorist organisation by the United States.
Ben-Gvir first gained national attention in 1995, when he appeared on television holding the hood ornament from then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car, just weeks before Rabin was assassinated. Two years later, in 1997, he led a protest campaign that forced Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor to cancel a peace concert in Jerusalem.
Today, Itamar Ben-Gvir stands as one of the most polarising figures in Israeli politics. To his supporters, he represents a hardline defender of national security; to his critics, he symbolises the normalisation of extremist ideology within Israel’s leadership. As the far-right voice in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, Ben-Gvir continues to shape the country’s political direction, often through controversy, confrontation, and defiance of international norms.
(This Story Is Part Of Timeline Internship Project)
