Itamar Ben-Gvir is an Israeli lawyer and lawmaker who is the head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party. He currently serves as the country's national security minister.
Though born in Mevaseret Zion near Jerusalem, Ben-Gvir now resides as a settler in Hebron in the West Bank and has made several controversial trips to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He has faced numerous charges of hate speech and was convicted of supporting the terrorist group Kach, the party founded by extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane. He remains an incredibly divisive figure in Israeli politics to this day.
The Prime Minister's Office released a statement in response to the visit, saying that the "status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed."
A senior coalition member said that Ben Gvir is “damaging the advancement of critical legislation.” Sources close to the minister called these claims “baseless excuses.”
Wednesday's scuffle continues a public spat between the two over Ben-Gvir's dissatisfaction with his ministry’s expected 2025 budget.
The state was required to respond no later than January 26.
The dispute continued a public spat between Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over, among other issues, Ben-Gvir’s dissatisfaction with his ministry’s expected 2025 budget.
Smotrich, Ben-Gvir lock heads over A-G's firing • Otzma Yehudit party votes against coalition’s budget
Many of the ministers and MKs spoke to media set up outside the courthouse, and issued sharp criticism of Israel’s law enforcement and judicial system.
Ben-Gvir is considering freezing appointments for the Israeli Police amid the investigation with Cmdr. Avishai Moalem, who was up for promotion.
In 2022, there were 154,458 people in Israel without a licensed firearm, but by 2024, this number has more than doubled.
Yaakobi is under investigation for fraud and obstruction of justice.
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