Israel’s Ben-Gvir visits US Monday, set to meet Trump officials: What to know
While avoiding official travel to the US during the Biden administration, Israel's far-right minister is set to embark on a weeklong trip there next week, where he is expected to meet with Trump officials.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Jewish Power party, is set to travel to the United States on April 21 for a weeklong visit, in his first official trip abroad since joining the current Netanyahu government in December 2022.
Ben-Gvir and his colleague, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the far-right Religious Zionism party, were both shunned by the Biden administration, which even contemplated imposing sanctions on them. While Ben-Gvir's trip is not part of an official invite from the White House, the Trump administration approved his visit, Haaretz reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Ben-Gvir will travel to Miami, New York, and Washington. A Ynet report said he will meet with officials from the US Department of Homeland Security and members of the Jewish community.
The hard-line politician has long expressed favorable views of US President Donald Trump. In February, he called Trump's position that Gazans should be resettled outside of Gaza the "only solution."
According to Haaretz, Ben-Gvir will include in his delegation to the US far-right activist Akiva Ha-Cohen from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar. Ha-Cohen served a few months in prison for collecting military-related information in an effort to thwart Israeli attempts to evacuate illegal outposts, in the so-called 2013 espionage affair. He was detained several times by the Shin Bet on suspicion of committing and inciting violence against Palestinian residents of a village near Yitzhar.
