Who is Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister who resigned from Netanyahu's cabinet?
Tel Aviv, Israel—— Israel's far-right national security minister resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Sunday to express his dissatisfaction with the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Itamar Bengville's resignation does not threaten the ceasefire, but it does weaken Netanyahu's governing coalition. If other far-right MPs leave the government – as Ben Gwell has encouraged them to do – the prime minister could lose his parliamentary majority, possibly forcing an early election.
It was the latest act of defiance by the 48-year-old ultra-nationalist settler leader who has transformed over decades from an outlaw and agitator into one of Israel's most influential politicians.
The following is a detailed introduction of Ben-Gvir:
The ceasefire would halt the war and release dozens of hostages held by Gaza militants. Ben-Gweil opposed the deal because it required Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and withdraw troops from Gaza's southern border with Egypt, and because it left open the possibility for Hamas to remain in power in Gaza.
Before resigning, he said the ceasefire was “reckless” and would “destroy all Israel's achievements.”
Ben-Gwere oversaw the country's police force during his time in cabinet. He has used his influence to encourage Netanyahu to advance the war in Gaza and recently boasted that he blocked past efforts to reach a ceasefire.
He has also visited Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site – the controversial hilltop structure that houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque – several times, including last month. During a visit in July, he said he came to pray for the return of the hostages “but not to make reckless deals and not to surrender.”
The move, while legal, was seen as a provocation that violated a long-standing local rule banning Jewish prayers and threatened to disrupt months of sensitive negotiations. The site is revered by the Jews as the Temple Mount.
Ben-Gewell has been convicted eight times for crimes including racism and supporting terrorist groups. As a teenager, his views were so extreme that the army barred him from mandatory military service.
Ben-Gwell gained notoriety as a young man as a follower of the late racist Rabbi Meir Kahani. He first became a national figure in 1995 when he broke the ornament off the hood of then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's car.
“We got in his car and we will find him,” he said, just weeks before Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist who opposed his peace efforts with the Palestinians.
Two years later, Ben-Gewell was responsible for orchestrating protests that included death threats that forced Irish singer Sinead O'Connor to cancel a peace concert in Jerusalem.
Ben-Gewell's political rise is the result of the media-savvy lawmaker's years-long struggle to gain legitimacy. But it also reflects a rightward shift among Israeli voters, bringing his religious, ultra-nationalist ideology into the mainstream and undermining hopes for Palestinian independence.
Ben-Gwell trained as a lawyer and gained recognition as a successful defense attorney for extremist Jews accused of violence against Palestinians.
With his quick wit and cheerful demeanor, the outspoken Ben Gwire also became a popular figure in the media, paving the way for his entry into politics. He was first elected to parliament in 2021.
Ben-Gweil has called for the expulsion of his political opponents and in the past has encouraged police to shoot at Palestinian stone-throwers in tense Jerusalem neighborhoods while brandishing pistols. As national security minister, he encouraged police to take a tough stance against anti-government protesters.
Ben-Gweil received a cabinet post after the 2022 election that brought Netanyahu and his far-right associates, including Ben-Gweil's Jewish Power party, to power.
“For the past year, I have been on a mission to save Israel,” Ben-Gewell told reporters before the election. “Millions of citizens are waiting for a truly right-wing government. It's time to give them one.”
Ben-Gevir has been mired in controversy throughout his term – encouraging the mass distribution of handguns to Jewish citizens, supporting Netanyahu's controversial attempts to reform the country's legal system and regularly lashing out at the U.S. leader for his disdain for Israel .
In May, when U.S. President Joe Biden threatened to withhold certain military aid if Israel invaded Rafah, Ben-Gweil criticized him. Hamas loves Biden, Ben-Gewell wrote in a post on social media platform X using a heart emoji.
Bengvir's departure does not endanger the ceasefire and Netanyahu still has the slim parliamentary majority needed to retain power.
But if other hardliners follow suit, Netanyahu's government could collapse, triggering snap elections.
“His survival time may be shorter,” said Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Institute for Jewish National Policy and an analyst for Israel's public television station Kan News.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he would provide Netanyahu with a political safety net to ensure the government does not fail due to the deal.
But Mairav Zonszein, senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the partnership was unlikely to last beyond the end of the ceasefire because the two men did not get along and would have difficulty working together.