Itamar Ben-Gvir
A former activist lawyer who became Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir leads Otzma Yehudit and advocates a very hard security line in Gaza, settlement expansion and the annexation of Judea and Samaria / the West Bank, as well as increased political control over the judicial system.
- Ideology
- Nationalist-religious radical right, heir to the Kahanist movement
- Current role
- Minister of National Security; leader of the Otzma Yehudit party
- Born
- May 6, 1976Mevaseret Zion
Key takeaways
- 01
Minister of National Security since December 2022, a newly created position with authority over the police in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank.
- 02
Leader of the Otzma Yehudit party; former activist lawyer, convicted in 2007 of incitement to racism and support for a terrorist organization.
- 03
Resigned from the government in January 2025 in protest against the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, before being reinstated in March 2025.
- 04
Champions the law introducing the death penalty for perpetrators of deadly terrorist attacks, adopted on March 30, 2026.
- 05
Advocates the immediate application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.
- 06
Supported the 2023 judicial reform and regularly opposes Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Controversies
In a podcast with former hostage Rom Braslavski (August 15–16, 2026), he states that targeted killings should be carried out in Gaza, “eliminating 30 to 40 people every night.” Targeting members of Hamas and “other enemies of Israel,” he specifies that this should not be limited to those who pose an immediate threat, and adds that “they are not even people.” These remarks are widely condemned.
In early September 2026, he unveils “Disengagement 710,” a plan for the voluntary emigration of Gazans envisaging 1.86 million departures over seven years. It is criticized as a disguised forced population displacement.
Former activist in the Kach and Kahane Chai movements, banned in Israel since 1994.
On May 20, 2026, he publishes a video filmed at the port of Ashdod in which he taunts detained Gaza flotilla activists, kneeling and handcuffed, shouting, “Welcome to Israel, we're in charge here!” Netanyahu publicly disavows him, deeming his behavior “contrary to Israel's values and norms.”
Since June 2025, he has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway for incitement to violence against Palestinians, and banned from entering several European countries, with some bans directly following the flotilla video.
In September 2026, he calls for the electoral disqualification of the Ra'am party, describing Mansour Abbas as a “wolf in sheep's clothing.”
On July 23, 2026, he prays on the Temple Mount, breaking with the status quo and drawing condemnation from Jordan and the Prime Minister's Office.
Born on May 6, 1976, in Mevasseret Zion, Itamar Ben Gvir joins the Kach movement at around the age of 16–17, shortly before it is banned in Israel in 1994 along with Kahane Chai. Both movements have been banned in Israel since 1994; they are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States from 1997 to 2022, and Canada still designates them as such. In 1995, he appears on television brandishing an ornament stolen from Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's car, a few weeks before Rabin's assassination. A lawyer by training (Ono Academic College), he defends far-right Jewish activists before entering politics; he is prosecuted dozens of times over the course of his career and convicted on several occasions, notably in 2007 for incitement to racism and support for a terrorist organization.
Elected to the Knesset in 2021 on the joint Religious Zionism/Otzma Yehudit list, on December 29, 2022, he becomes the first Minister of National Security, a newly created position giving him authority over the police in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank. He resigns from the government on January 19, 2025, in protest against the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, described as a “victory for terrorism,” before being reinstated in March 2025 after the resumption of strikes.
He champions the law introducing the death penalty for perpetrators of deadly terrorist attacks, adopted on March 30, 2026, and announces in September 2025 that he wants to apply Israeli sovereignty immediately in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank. In 2026, his remarks on Gaza and a plan for the emigration of its population spark intense international controversy (details in “Controversies”), while several countries impose sanctions on him or ban him from entering their territory.
Itamar Ben Gvir was radicalized during the First Intifada in the Kach and Kahane Chai movements, which have since been dissolved and designated terrorist organizations. In 1995, a few weeks before Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, he appeared on television holding an ornament stolen from Rabin's car. According to Ynet, he said: "Just like we got to this emblem, we can get to him too."
A lawyer by training (Ono Academic College), he defended far-right Jewish activists before entering politics. He has been prosecuted dozens of times during his career (sources give between 41 and 53 indictments) and convicted seven or eight times. These include a 2007 conviction by the Jerusalem District Court for incitement to racism and support for a terrorist organization, Kach.
Itamar Ben Gvir was elected to the Knesset in 2021, third on the joint Religious Zionist Party/Otzma Yehudit list. On December 29, 2022, he became Israel's first Minister of National Security. This newly created post gives him authority over the police, including in Judea and Samaria/West Bank.
He resigned from the government on January 19, 2025, in protest against the ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, which he called a "victory for terrorism." He returned as minister in March 2025, after strikes resumed.
He led the push for the law introducing the death penalty for perpetrators of deadly terror attacks, which the Knesset passed on March 30, 2026. He supported the 2023 judicial reform and has repeatedly clashed with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
In August 2026, Itamar Ben Gvir caused a major international controversy when he said in an interview that Israel should carry out "targeted assassinations" in Gaza of "30 to 40" people per night. In September 2026, he presented the "Disengagement 710" plan. It calls for the voluntary emigration of about 1.86 million Gaza residents; opponents call it forced population displacement.
On July 23, 2026, on Tisha B'Av, he went up to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound with Negev and Galilee Development Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and prayed there. This broke the status quo that bans non-Muslim prayer at the site. Jordan and the office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the move.
As early as September 2025, he said he wanted to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria/West Bank immediately and dismantle the Palestinian Authority. In September 2026, he called for Ra'am and its leader Mansour Abbas to be disqualified from the election, describing them as close to terrorism.
In a podcast with former hostage Rom Braslavski, released on August 15-16, 2026, Itamar Ben Gvir said: "I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night." He was referring to Hamas members and other "enemies of Israel," and said this should not be limited to people who pose an immediate threat: "There are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn't live. They're not even people." These remarks were highly controversial and widely condemned, including by Germany, France and the UN.
In early September 2026, he presented "Disengagement 710," a plan for the voluntary emigration of Gaza residents. It projects 250,000 departures in the first year, 1.11 million within three years, and 1.86 million within seven years: almost the entire population of Gaza. The UN and several NGOs criticized the plan as forced population transfer.
He is a former activist in the Kach and Kahane Chai movements. Both organizations have been banned in Israel since 1994 and are still designated as terrorist organizations by Canada and Japan; the United States removed them from its list in 2022.
On May 20, 2026, he posted a video filmed at Ashdod port, where more than 400 intercepted Gaza flotilla activists were being held. In the video, he waves a large Israeli flag in front of kneeling, handcuffed detainees and shouts in Hebrew: "Welcome to Israel! We're in charge here!" He has the national anthem played, shouts "Am Yisrael Chai" at the bound detainees, and tells the guards not to be bothered by their screams. The video also shows officers grabbing a female activist by the head and forcing her to the ground. Netanyahu publicly distanced himself from his minister: "the way Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel's values and norms." At the same time, he defended Israel's right to stop the flotilla. Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, South Korea and the United States condemned the incident, and several summoned the Israeli ambassador.
Since June 2025, he has been under sanctions (asset freezes) by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway for inciting extremist violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria/West Bank. Slovenia, the Netherlands and Spain have also banned him from entering since summer 2025, for incitement to violence. Poland, France and Ireland followed in spring-summer 2026; their bans were directly linked to the flotilla video. The EU itself has not adopted sanctions against him, because its member states could not agree.
In September 2026, he filed a request to disqualify Ra'am and its leader Mansour Abbas from the election. He said: "The wolf in sheep's clothing must be thrown out of the Knesset." He called Ra'am a "terrorist organization" and Abbas a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
On July 23, 2026, Tisha B'Av, he prayed on the Temple Mount with Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, breaking the status quo that bans non-Muslim prayer at the site. He said: "Jews are praying and feel that they are the legitimate owners of this place." Jordan and the office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the move.