From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Opposition MK says Ben Gvir accosted and verbally assaulted her at Knesset
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam 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"
Blue and White MK Pnina Tamano-Shata has accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of accosting her in the Knesset plenum, coming up close to her and calling her “fucked up and stupid.”
Appearing to barely hold back tears, Tamano-Shata told lawmakers yesterday evening that the ultranationalist minister had confronted her over her complaints about law enforcement’s policing of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel. The Ethiopian community has long charged authorities with discriminatory legal treatment.
After confronting Ben Gvir regarding recent “violent” arrests of two children of Ethiopian descent, she later said in a post on X, “the minister called me ‘fucked up and stupid’ and pressed up against my face in a violent and threatening manner, even though I asked him to step back. The incident was not captured on camera, but there are plenty of witnesses.”
Ben Gvir’s office has so far not issued a statement responding Tamano-Shata’s allegation.
The Times of Israel Community.