Who Is Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Far-Right National Security Minister Who Resigned Over Ceasefire Deal
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir resigned in protest over Gaza ceasefire deal. Ben-Gvir, a controversial figure, had been a key ally of Netanyahu's far-right coalition.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has resigned from the country’s ruling coalition in protest against the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, his Jewish Power party announced on Sunday. In a statement, the party called the ceasefire deal a "capitulation to Hamas" and criticised the "release of hundreds of murderers" and the "renouncing of the [Israeli military’s] achievements in the war" in Gaza.
Despite Ben-Gvir’s departure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retains a slim majority in the Knesset, news agency AFP reported.
Itamar Ben-Gvir: A Controversial Political Figure In Israel
Ben-Gvir, trained as a lawyer, first gained recognition as a defence attorney representing extremist Jews accused of violence against Palestinians. With his outspoken views and media presence, he rose to political prominence and was elected to the Israeli parliament in 2021.
He has been a highly controversial figure throughout his career, as per news agency AP. He has previously called for the deportation of political opponents and encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers in Jerusalem while brandishing a pistol. As national security minister, he has advocated for a tough crackdown on anti-government protests.
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He was a follower of the late rabbi Meir Kahane, known for his racist ideology. Ben-Gvir first gained national attention in 1995 when he broke a hood ornament off then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car, declaring, "We got to his car, and we’ll get to him too." Weeks later, Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians.
In 1997, Ben-Gvir took responsibility for leading protests, including issuing death threats, that ultimately forced Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor to cancel a peace concert in Jerusalem.
Ben-Gvir, 47, has led the far-right Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party since 2019. He entered Netanyahu’s Cabinet after the 2022 elections, which saw his party become a key ally of the prime minister’s far-right coalition. He was later appointed as the national security minister, giving him control over Israel’s Border Police division in the occupied West Bank.
According to AP, he told reporters before the election, "Over the last year I’ve been on a mission to save Israel. Millions of citizens are waiting for a real right-wing government. The time has come to give them one."
During his tenure, he has backed Netanyahu’s controversial judicial overhaul, pushed for the mass distribution of handguns to Jewish citizens, and repeatedly lashed out at U.S. leaders over their stance on Israel.
A settler in Kiryat Arba, one of the most radical settlements in the occupied West Bank (which are illegal under international law), Ben-Gvir has been convicted eight times for offences including incitement to racism, destroying property, and supporting a terrorist organisation—Meir Kahane’s outlawed Kach group, which he joined at 16. His extreme views led to his exclusion from Israel’s compulsory military service.
He was also notorious for displaying a picture of Baruch Goldstein, the American-Israeli who massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers in Hebron in 1994.
Since entering the Knesset, the unicameral parliament of Israel, he has pulled a gun on Palestinian parking attendants in Tel Aviv, clashed with Palestinian-Israeli legislator Ayman Odeh at a hospital, and entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, declaring, "I’m happy to ascend the Temple Mount, the most important place for the people of Israel," Al Jazeera reported.
Ben-Gvir has also pushed for a controversial national guard, arguing it was a revival of the Israeli Guard, launched in 2022 by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
In 2023, he sparked outrage when he stated that his right to move freely was "more important" than Palestinians’ freedom of movement in the occupied West Bank.
"My right, the right of my wife and my children to move around Judea and Samaria is more important than freedom of movement for the Arabs," he said in an interview, using the biblical term for the occupied territory, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
His comments drew sharp criticism, including from American supermodel Bella Hadid, who wrote on Instagram, "In no place, no time, especially in 2023 should one life be more valuable than another’s. Especially simply because of their ethnicity, culture or pure hatred."
Ben-Gvir responded by calling Hadid an "Israel hater," claiming she had misrepresented his words to portray him as a racist
His resignation marks a significant shift in Israel’s political landscape while Netanyahu's government remains in power despite losing Jewish Power’s support.
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