Ben Gvir walks out of Independence Day ceremony after fight over seating

By Sam Sokol 21 April 2026, 9:18 pm

2 Edit

Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, sporting a noose pin, attends a Knesset National Security Committee meeting discussing his 'death penalty for terrorists' bill in Jerusalem, March 24, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his wife walk out of the annual Independence Day celebration in Jerusalem in response to being asked to move after taking seats reserved for members of Argentine President Javier Milei’s entourage, Hebrew media report, citing ceremony organizers.

Speaking with Channel 12, sources close to the minister claim that he left after he requested to sit next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but was rebuffed by Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who organized the annual celebration.

“It is very unfortunate that Miri Regev does not internalize that this is a state ceremony in which all government ministers are supposed to participate,” the sources close to Ben Gvir tell the network.

The network cites organizers as saying that “contrary to the reports, Minister Ben Gvir was assigned a seat like all other ministers and senior staff, but apparently sat by mistake in the seats designated for the President of Argentina and his entourage. Minister Ben Gvir was simply asked to sit in the seat allocated to him.”