Israel’s Ben-Gvir ends US visit amid pro-Palestine protests

JERUSALEM / ANKARA

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ended his first official visit to the US on Tuesday, amid chants of “Free Palestine” by pro-Palestinian demonstrators inside the Capitol building.

A video circulated on social media showed several supporters of Palestinians chanting "Free Palestine" directly at Ben-Gvir during his visit to the US Congress.

In an X post, the extremist minister said he concluded his "diplomatic visit to the United States at the Capitol building, holding important meetings with senior Congress members who expressed their full support for Israel."

Last week, Ben-Gvir arrived in the US for his first visit since joining the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late 2022, and since President Donald Trump took office in January.

During his trip, Ben-Gvir faced pro-Palestinian chants at multiple locations, as shown in videos circulating on social media platforms.

The Israeli minister also encountered criticism from supporters of Israeli hostages’ families upon arriving at a Florida airport, according to widely-shared social media videos.

While Ben-Gvir mentioned meeting US Congress members in his posts, he, however, didn't say that he met any official from the US administration.

He also claimed on Wednesday that US Republicans back his call for bombing food and aid stores in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

A day later on Thursday, the US State Department dismissed Ben-Gvir's claim, saying his remarks are a “complete contradiction” to US policy.

The former US administration of Joe Biden had boycotted Ben-Gvir over his anti-peace rhetoric, incitement to violence against Palestinians, and his support for settlement building in the occupied territories.

Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had faced a similar boycott under Biden, but he visited Washington in February under the Trump administration.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich rank among the most extreme figures in Netanyahu’s government, both notorious for their anti-Palestinian rhetoric and public calls to expel Palestinians from their land.

The two ministers have openly encouraged settler violence against Palestinians and their properties in the occupied West Bank, where attacks have escalated dramatically since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.

More than 52,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.