Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister who openly promotes the forced transfer of Palestinians from their land—for those who survive the genocidal attacks by the IDF—is coming to the U.S. for a tour after Passover. He has meetings scheduled with Trump cabinet official Kristi Noem, and with members of the U.S. Jewish community.
His visit is treated nervously in a column today in Haaretz. Under the headline, “Ben-Gvir’s U.S. Visit Is a Test for American Jews. Will They Embrace a Racist?” his sordid past is detailed. A “proud member of Kahane Chai,” the Israeli organization of terrorist Meir Kahane, he has multiple convictions for violent confrontations, stretching back to an incident in which he threatened late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was later assassinated by a terrorist with Kahane connections. Kahane, the founder of the terrorist Jewish Defense League, was elected to the Knesset in 1984, but his party was banned for its anti-Arab racism in 1988. Haaretz points out that before the 2022 election, Netanyahu was afraid to be seen with Ben-Gvir, who he now embraces as a member of his cabinet.
