TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy sites on Wednesday in protest against recognition of a Palestinian state by three European countries.
It was the latest act of defiance by the ultranationalist settler leader, who over the decades has transformed from an outlaw and provocateur to one of Israel’s most influential politicians.
As a cabinet minister, Ben Gvir oversees the country’s police. As the main coalition partner, he also has the power to strip Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority and force early elections.
Ben Gvir used his influence to advance his pet projects, encouraging Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza despite widespread demands for a ceasefire that would lead to the return of the hostages.
The extraordinary rise of Ben Gvir, 48, is the culmination of years of efforts by the media-savvy MP to gain legitimacy. But it also reflects a rightward shift among Israeli voters, mainstreaming his religious and ultra-nationalist ideology and dampening hopes for Palestinian independence.
Let’s find out more about Ben Gvir.
illegal
Ben Gvir has been convicted eight times for crimes including racial discrimination and supporting terrorist organizations. When he was a teenager, his views were so extreme that the military forced him into mandatory military service.
Ben Gvir gained notoriety in his youth as a follower of the late racist Rabbi Meir Kahane. He first became a national celebrity in 1995 when Ben Gvir famously broke the bonnet decoration of then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car.
“We got to his car and we’ll get to him,” he said. That was just weeks before Rabin was assassinated by Jewish extremists opposed to peace efforts with the Palestinians.
Two years later, Ben Gvir was responsible for organizing a protest that included death threats, forcing Irish singer Sinead O’Connor to cancel a peace concert in Jerusalem.
Going mainstream
Ben Gvir trained as a lawyer and became known as a successful defence lawyer for radical Jews accused of violence against Palestinians.
Ben-Gvir, a witty and outspoken man with a penchant for media popularity, carved out a path into politics: He was first elected to parliament in 2021.
Ben Gvir has called for the expulsion of political opponents and in the past has encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood while brandishing a pistol. As national security minister, he encouraged police to take a tougher stance against anti-government protesters.
Controversial Minister
Ben Gvir secured his cabinet post after the 2022 election, when Netanyahu and his far-right partners, including Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, came to power.
“For the past year, I have been on a mission to save Israel,” Ben Gvir told reporters before the election. “Millions of people are waiting for a truly right-wing government. It’s time to give them power.”
Ben Gvir remained controversial throughout his tenure, encouraging the mass distribution of handguns to Jews, supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial attempt to overhaul the country’s legal system, and criticizing Israel. He frequently criticized U.S. leaders he seemed to disrespect. He threatened to overthrow the government unless Israel launched a full-scale invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Earlier this month, Ben Gvir criticized Joe Biden when he threatened that the US president would withhold certain military aid if Israel invaded Rafah. In a post to “X,” Ben Gvir used a heart emoji and wrote that Hamas loves Biden.
Ben Gvir toured the hilltop site of the disputed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday to denounce the decisions of Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognize a Palestinian state.
Palestinians consider mosques to be national symbols and view such visits as provocative, but Ben Gvir said the site, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, will remain open at a tense time. I visit often. Tensions at the disputed facility have exacerbated past acts of violence.
Ben Gvir said he wanted to make a statement “from the most sacred place for the people of Israel, which belongs only to the state of Israel.”