The key facts
- Ben-Gvir's party Otzma Yehudit is projected by polls to win 8–9 of the Knesset's 120 seats — for the first time on its own
- Ben-Gvir said he would demand the post of defense minister if Netanyahu's bloc wins on October 27
- The election committee fined the minister over a video threatening a prisoner; France condemned an AI clip about a Palestinian moving to Paris
The Far-Right Minister's Campaign
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, previously seen as a marginal provocateur on the far-right flank, is running an active campaign ahead of the October 27 parliamentary election. According to polls, his party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) will win eight or nine seats in the 120-seat Knesset — for the first time as an independent party. In 2022 it received six mandates, running in an alliance with other far-right parties. His campaign promises include encouraging Palestinians to leave the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as applying the death penalty to Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks on Israelis.
Path to Influence
Ben-Gvir, a lawyer by training, was convicted at least eight times by Israeli courts before becoming a minister, including for supporting a terrorist organization and incitement to racism. In his youth he was barred from military service due to his support for far-right groups. Since joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition four years ago, his political influence has grown sharply. As head of the police, he facilitated the acquisition of firearms by more than 200,000 Israelis and publicly boasts about worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners. He wears a noose-shaped pin after advancing the death penalty law for Palestinians, celebrated its passage with champagne and decorated a cake with a noose for his 50th birthday.
Claims on the Defense Ministry
Ben-Gvir, who lives in the radical settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank, said that if Netanyahu's bloc wins on October 27, he will demand the post of defense minister. The election is expected to be close: more than half a million young Israelis will vote for the first time, and, according to polls, most of them identify as center-right or right-wing. A survey of 543 first-time voters, published by the Israeli outlet Ynet, showed that about 16% support Otzma Yehudit or the far-right Religious Zionism party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Provocative Stunts and Videos
In September, at a mock campaign event at a school near Tel Aviv, party activists handed out pistol-shaped keychains to schoolchildren — a reference to the liberalization of gun licensing rules. Ben-Gvir deleted an AI video that drew criticism, in which smiling Palestinians enter an Israeli prison on a conveyor belt and exit crying and emaciated. In October, the election committee fined the minister over another video in which he confronts a convicted Hamas official in prison and says he wants to kill him, ruling the clip campaign advertising. Among his AI clips is a video in which a genie in Ben-Gvir's likeness grants the wish of an elderly Palestinian from the ruins of Gaza to move to Paris; the French government condemned the clip, noting that Ben-Gvir is banned from entering France.
Voter Reactions
At the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, where a huge banner with Ben-Gvir's face hangs, voters expressed support. Twenty-three-year-old Or Nahman told AFP that 'he speaks directly' and that people vote for someone who protects the 'Jewish character of the state' and security. Others were more wary: 42-year-old Shlomo from Ramat Gan, who previously voted for Netanyahu, called Ben-Gvir 'too cruel' and is considering Smotrich, noting that Israel needs to cooperate with the world. Thirty-seven-year-old Michael from Jerusalem believes Ben-Gvir 'says stupid things for votes,' which harms the country's economy and diplomacy.
