At NY event that draws protests and disruptions, Ben Gvir says his views have evolved

NEW YORK — National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was met with protests and disruptions at a speaking event in New York City on Thursday during the far-right lawmaker’s rocky visit to the US this week.

Ben Gvir spoke to a largely receptive audience of around 30 people on the roof of a restaurant in Manhattan’s Financial District, while several dozen protesters gathered outside.

During his talk, moderated by Tablet magazine’s Liel Leibovitz, Ben Gvir explained his personal history, rationale for his positions and actions as national security minister, highlighting his crackdown on Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons and support for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. As national security minister, Ben Gvir oversees Israel’s police and prison service.

He distanced himself from some of his past, saying his views have evolved and that rehabilitating his image was one of his reasons for visiting the US.

“This is one of the reasons I’m here in the US. My name is often mentioned in all kinds of ways that are not accurate or that were in the past,” he said. “I did a lot of things [that] came from one source — my love for Israel.”

As he spoke, a protester burst into the room, shouting “Get the fuck out of New York, Itamar,” and “Palestine will be free.” He was removed by Ben Gvir’s security detail. Ben Gvir backed the man’s right to protest, although under his direction, the Israeli police have been criticized for a heavy-handed approach toward demonstrators.

“It’s good that they’re allowed to shout. In Syria and Egypt, you cannot shout like this,” Ben Gvir said in response. “In America and Israel, we allow people to shout and protest.”

Ben Gvir has been widely criticized for his support for extremists, including the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom he expressed ambivalence about after famously featuring a photo of him in his living room until several years ago.

“I don’t agree with everything Rabbi Kahane wrote. When I was young, I used to think we had to kick out all of the Arabs and today I think the situation is more complex,” he said. “You can’t take away from Rabbi Kahane what he did in the Jewish Defense League. He worked and was murdered as a Jew.”

Left-wing Jewish groups rallied against Ben Gvir outside the meeting. Participating groups included the Israeli expat activist group UnXeptable, the Union for Reform Judaism, T’ruah, J Street, the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, the New York Jewish Agenda and Smol Emuni. US Representative Jerry Nadler of New York and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, both Jewish, spoke at the event.

The protesters carried Israeli flags and signs that said “Rabbis reject Ben Gvir” and “Netanyahu’s government — peril to all Jews.”

Nadler said Ben Gvir, as minister, is “wreaking terror on both Jews and Arabs.”

“Let’s be crystal clear about who Itamar Ben Gvir is. He is a racist, terrorist, Jewish supremacist bent on enacting Meir Kahane’s vision,” Nadler said. “We are gathered here to protest a group of American Jews welcoming Ben Gvir to New York City. To them, we have one thing to say — Ben Gvir isn’t welcome here.”

The crowd chanted, “Out,” and “Shame,” in Hebrew, in response.

During Ben Gvir’s event, the protesters’ whistles, drums and chants of “Bring them home” were audible.

Ben Gvir said he felt an affinity toward the protesters.

“My mother taught me that we’re all brothers and sisters — left and right, religious and secular,” he said. “My work, my actions come from my love for the people.”

During the event, a former Israeli Air Force pilot who lives in the US, Guy Benjamin, confronted Ben Gvir, saying the government had failed to provide security on October 7, 2023.

“I left Israel a few years ago and I left because of people like you, honestly. I left because you’re a convicted criminal, you’re a promoter of racism, you’re an opponent of any deal to save hostages,” he said. “This is not the country I fought for and your presence in power is one of the main reasons I’m not coming back to Israel, so I want to ask you, what do you offer to people like me? How can you give me back hope? Because I want to go back.”

The question sparked pushback from other attendees, including one man who shouted, “Don’t you be insulting.” Ben Gvir responded by defending the police’s record on and since October 7.

“If you really want to return to Israel, now is the right time, it’s a period of security and we hope the IDF goes all the way,” he said.

Ben Gvir also said he came to the US in support of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza that includes facilitating the emigration of Palestinians out of Gaza.

“I think it’s humane, I think it’s moral and that’s what Israel has to implement,” he said.

Ben Gvir appeared to be at odds with the Trump administration on another issue — attacking Hamas food supplies and electricity.

“We’ve got to bomb the Hamas food supplies. It can’t be that our hostages don’t have food and Hamas has food. If our hostages don’t have electricity, why should Hamas have electricity?” he said.

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Thursday appeared to criticize that approach, saying the idea is “in complete contradiction to the nature of our commitment to getting food aid and assistance” into Gaza.

The New York audience was largely supportive of Ben Gvir, applauding him several times during the talk, which was translated by Yishai Fleisher, the director of international affairs for the Jewish community of Hebron.

The event was hosted by Shabtai, an organization for Jewish students and faculty at Yale University. Shabtai hosted Ben Gvir at an event near the campus on Wednesday night that drew anti-Israel protesters. Anti-Israel activist groups in New York did not appear to take notice of Ben Gvir’s visit.

Shabtai said inviting Ben Gvir was part of its tradition of hosting an array of speakers from across the political spectrum. The group has previously hosted speakers including anti-Zionists such as Philip Weiss, the Jewish creator of the anti-Zionist publication Mondoweiss.

Other venues have canceled Ben Gvir events after drawing pushback. An event in Brooklyn was canceled last week, and on Thursday, Young Israel of Woodmere, a synagogue on Long Island, canceled a Saturday event, according to an email shared with The Times of Israel.

Ben Gvir has not announced any meetings with New York officials. The office of Mayor Eric Adams said it was unaware of any coordination with Ben Gvir’s office and the NYPD did not respond to a request for information.

Ben Gvir is visiting the US this week for his first official trip as a representative of the Israeli government. He started his tour in Florida, where he attended a meal at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, although Trump was not present. He also met with Miami police, toured a prison, visited a gun store, an Israeli supermarket, and met with Jewish community members.