Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s US visit is unravelling. A letter from Jewish-led groups say: “He does not represent us as Jews or Israelis.” [Getty]
Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is set to make his US debut next Monday, following the Jewish holiday of Passover, in what will be his first trip abroad since being appointed national security minister in 2022.
Concerns have been raised that the trip will serve to promote support for the extremist pro-settler movement, as Washington appears to be softening its stance on Ben-Gvir.
According to Israeli media, Ben-Gvir is expected to make stops in Washington, New York, and Miami, where he will meet with prominent pro-Israel US officials, influencers, and Jewish community leaders.
His upcoming visit follows public expressions of support for US President Donald Trump, after facing harsh criticism from Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
The previous Biden administration had reportedly considered barring Ben-Gvir from entering the US due to his history of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian rhetoric. Amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, Ben-Gvir has also called for intensifying the military assault and expelling Gaza’s Palestinian population.
With the current Trump administration itself proposing the resettlement of Gaza’s residents to other countries, Ben-Gvir’s visit signals a deepening of support amid heightened US backing for Israel’s renewed military offensive on Gaza since March.
The Times of Israel reported on Friday that at least two pro-Israel organisations had confirmed hosting events for Ben-Gvir, including a student society at Yale University.
The outlet also stated that the Israeli minister was scheduled to attend a fundraiser in New York aimed at supporting far-right settler communities in the occupied West Bank.
However, Israeli newspaper Haaretz later reported on Friday that the event had been cancelled by organisers due to “unforeseen changes in the minister’s schedule”, without offering further details.
In a separate report, Haaretz revealed that a planned meeting between Ben-Gvir’s office and US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — expected to be the highest-level engagement of the trip —had also been cancelled.
The outlet also reported that Ben-Gvir is expected to be accompanied by far-right settler activist Akiva Hacohen, who has a criminal record that includes assaulting an elderly Palestinian man in the northern occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israeli media outlets reported that several far-right groups that initially claimed to be hosting Ben-Gvir are now distancing themselves from his visit.
Mainstream Jewish-American organisations have also reportedly stated that they were neither informed nor planning to meet with him.
UnXeptable, an Israeli-led protest movement in the US, has strongly condemned Ben-Gvir’s planned visit.
“Mobilising against Ben-Gvir is mobilising against extremism,” said the group’s leader Offir Gutelzon in a public statement.
This week, UnXeptable released an open letter- co-signed by Jewish activist organisations including the New York Jewish Agenda and We Are All Hostages, making clear that “Itamar Ben-Gvir is not welcome in our community”.
The statement added that he does not represent them “as Jews or as Israelis”, and denounced what they described as his “dangerous vision” for the Middle East.
Critics of Israel’s war on Gaza have also taken to social media to voice their opposition to Ben-Gvir ahead of his planned appearances.
“Ben-Gvir is a racist who publicly supports war crimes, praised a terrorist organisation and a mass murderer, and boasted about blocking multiple peace deals. Naturally, he is welcomed by the Trump administration,” wrote Brian Tashman, Deputy Director of US criminal justice reform group Vera Action, in a post on X.
US political action committee A New Policy also criticised the visit on X, writing: “The US is rolling out the red carpet for Ben-Gvir.”
“He armed settlers, blocked probes into rape and torture by Israeli soldiers, and tells police to shoot protesters—including Americans. The US has done this before with apartheid South Africa. History won’t forget.”
Ben-Gvir recently rejoined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, following renewed Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that ended weeks of relative calm.
This escalation came after ceasefire negotiations with the Palestinian group Hamas stalled.
He had resigned from the government earlier this year in protest against the recent ceasefire.
During his previous tenure in the cabinet, he repeatedly criticised both the Israeli army and Netanyahu’s leadership, voicing strong opposition to any deal with Hamas.
He had also issued threats to collapse the government if it agreed to a ceasefire that did not involve the total destruction of Hamas.
