# Itamar Ben-Gvir

## Identity and office

Itamar Ben-Gvir has been Israel’s minister of national security since 29 December 2022, except January–March 2025. As of September 2026 he is a living minister. Benjamin Netanyahu is the live prime minister. This run does not mint a cleaner twin.

He is not a worship-freedom saint. He was convicted in earlier Israeli courts of incitement to racism and of supporting a terrorist organisation — completed criminal instruments that sat as the reason petitions tried to block the 2022 appointment. The High Court did not block it.

On 3 January 2023, in his first week, he visited the Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif for about fifteen minutes under heavy guard ([NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/world/middleeast/israel-ben-gvir-holy-site.html)). An Israeli official told Reuters the walk complied with non-Muslim visit-but-not-pray rules. Jordan said the visit violated international law. The [Palestinian Authority](/organizations/palestinian-authority) called it an unprecedented provocation. Netanyahu said ministers including [Gilad Erdan](/people/gilad-erdan) had gone up and that the status quo was unchanged. Store both. The visit passed without incident that morning. Do not invent a unique later death as Contribution.size.

On 19 January 2025 he resigned over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal. On 19 March 2025 he returned when fighting resumed, despite the attorney general’s position that he could not be re-appointed. This page does not invent 7 October death totals.

On 10 June 2025 the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway imposed travel bans and asset freezes on him and Bezalel Smotrich for alleged repeated incitement of settler violence ([Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/10/britain-canada-sanctions-israel-west-bank/)). Later France and others added neighbourhood listings. The United States did not sanction the sitting ministers. Quote 10 June.

A 2026 expanded High Court panel on remaining in office is a neighbouring petition, not a completed removal on this page.

## Documented benefits

The offsets that a commissioned-positive portrait would lead with are real only where dated. A competitive 2022 Knesset entry is identity.

## Contributions and limits of responsibility

Netanyahu appointed and re-appointed. Police escorted the 3 January visit. Partner governments listed. He took the ministry, made the visit, resigned and returned. Sharing 7 October as parent is not a reason to hang a unique death total on this node. Sharing Smotrich’s dual hat is not a reason to mint him.

## Causal chain through facts

29 December 2022 initiates ben-gvir-national-security as a completed police-command appointment. 3 January 2023 strengthens that file as a dated holy-site escalation. 10 June 2025 strengthens it as completed partner sanctions. None hang on [territorial-revisionism](/drivers/territorial-revisionism), ukraine-war, or Soviet-scope rows.

## What the score does not say

This page does not promise an exact number. Direction is negative: week-one holy-site visit, police politicisation neighbourhood, 10 June 2025 listings. Bezalel Smotrich remains a name on this file, not an invented biography.

## Dated facts

- 2025: UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway sanction Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. https://factrail.ai/facts/il-bengvir-sanctions-2025. Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/10/britain-canada-sanctions-israel-west-bank/, https://www.gov.uk/.
- 2023: National security minister Ben-Gvir visits Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif in his first week. https://factrail.ai/facts/il-bengvir-temple-mount-2023. Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/world/middleeast/israel-ben-gvir-holy-site.html, https://www.gov.il/en.
- 2022: Itamar Ben-Gvir is sworn minister of national security in the Thirty-Seventh Government. https://factrail.ai/facts/il-bengvir-nsm-2022. Sources: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-set-swear-israels-new-government-2022-12-29/, https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/mk/government/Pages/governments.aspx.

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/people/itamar-ben-gvir