Itamar Ben-Gvir
 Itamar Ben-Gvir    (lawyer, politician) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 6 May 1976 Mevaseret Zion, Israel |
| Interests | Al-Aqsa Mosque |
Israeli settler, activist and politician | |
Itamar Ben-Gvir is an Israeli lawyer and far-right politician who has served as the Minister of National Security since 2022.
Ben-Gvir, a settler in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has faced charges of hate speech against Arabs and was known to have a portrait in his living room of Israeli-American terrorist Baruch Goldstein, who massacred 29 Palestinian Muslim worshipers and wounded 125 others in Hebron, in the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre. He removed the portrait after he entered politics.[1] He was also previously convicted of supporting a terrorist group known as Kach, which espoused Kahanism, an extremist religious Zionist ideology.[2]
| Middle East Eye - Far-right Israeli member of parliament Itamar Ben-Gvir pulls out gun in Sheikh Jarrah (October 14, 2022) |
Under his leadership, the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), a party which espouses Kahanism and anti-Arabism, won six seats in the 2022 Israeli legislative election, and is represented in what has been called the most right-wing and hardline government in Israel's history.[3][4][5] He has called for the expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel who are not loyal to Israel.[6] Ben Gvir is "widely known for his openly racist, anti-Arab views and activities". Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz has said Ben Gvir represents "Jewish fascism".[7]
Al-Aqsa Mosque
He visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque in January 2023, in a move that was seen as highly provocative.[8]
References
- ↑ https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221027-israel-s-far-right-leader-ben-gvir-wins-adoring-young-fans
- ↑ https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/20/biden-israel-netanyahu-far-right-00074685
- ↑ https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-resumes-role-as-pm-as-israels-most-hardline-government-ever-takes-office
- ↑ http://www.timesofisrael.com/surprise-arab-town-doesnt-love-anti-arab-party/
- ↑ https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-extremist-who-could-bring-kahanism-back-to-the-knesset
- ↑ https://www.timesofisrael.com/otzma-yehudit-candidate-critics-have-to-go-back-30-years-in-order-to-attack-us/
- ↑ https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2022/11/15/eva-illouz-sociologue-la-troisieme-force-politique-en-israel-represente-ce-que-l-on-est-bien-oblige-d-appeler-a-contrec-ur-un-fascisme-juif_6149891_3232.html
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/03/extreme-right-israel-minister-itamar-ben-gvir-visits-al-aqsa-mosque-compound
