Firebrand lawmaker questioned by police for pulling gun on Arab guards

Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben Gvir was questioned over an incident late last year in which he pulled out a pistol during an altercation with Arab security guards over a parking spot, police said Thursday.

The far-right lawmaker was already summoned by the Knesset security chief for the December 21 incident, after he was filmed pulling a gun out at the Expo Tel Aviv conference center. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Ben Gvir had arrived for an event at the center when the guards asked him to move his car, as it was apparently parked in a prohibited spot.

A dispute broke out, and Ben Gvir flashed his piece. He claimed the two security guards made aggressive threats that left him feeling his life was in danger.

The security guards did not appear to be armed.

The altercation was caught on video by one of the guards and, reportedly, also by Benzi Gopstein, the leader of the far-right, anti-LGBTQ Lehava organization, who was accompanying Ben Gvir to the event.

חבר הכנסת איתמר בן גביר שולף אקדח לעבר עובדים ערבים בחניון גני התערוכה בתל אביב. הצדדים התעמתו סביב חנייה. בן גביר טוען שהעימות החל בגלל שהם קיללו ואיימו על חייו. בתיעוד נוסף אחד מהם נשמע אומר: "אם אתם גברים תבואו כולכם בלי נשק, אני מזיין אתכם, כולכם פה" pic.twitter.com/eSjFutSyvl

— Ran Shimoni (@ran_shimoni) December 22, 2021

In one clip, Ben Gvir can be seen with his gun drawn, briefly holding it up to show it to the guards, and then keeping it down, still holding it, as he advances towards the pair, shouting: “You will not threaten me, I will take care of you.”

In Gopstein’s video, the guard can be seen shouting at Ben Gvir’s entourage: “If you are real men, come at me, all of you, without weapons, I will fuck up all of you.”

Ben Gvir, who claimed that he had offered to move his car, called the police, who questioned both the Knesset member and the security guards.

Lawmakers from both coalition and opposition parties have called for further investigation into the circumstances of the incident, with a focus on Ben Gvir’s suitability to have a gun permit.

הגעתי לחניון בגני התערוכה ושני מאבטחים ערבים ניסו לתקוף אותי. שלומי טוב, המשטרה בדרכה למקום. pic.twitter.com/b03vV0VJeW

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) December 21, 2021

Known for his rabble-rousing anti-Arab rhetoric, Ben Gvir has had a number of run-ins with the law and with Arabs, including fellow lawmakers.

In October, Ben Gvir was involved in a physical clash with Joint List head Ayman Odeh. The two confronted each other at the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, where a Palestinian hunger-striker suspected of terrorism was being treated.

Earlier this week, Ben Gvir scuffled with police who tried to remove his makeshift office from a sidewalk in the powder keg East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

Ben Gvir has previously claimed there are threats against him and has demanded special protection.