Ben Gvir cancels planned U.S. trip amid visa difficulties

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has canceled a planned trip to the United States, according to a report by Channel 12. The decision came after significant difficulties in obtaining an American entry visa.

Ben Gvir had intended to travel to the U.S. to attend the wedding of an acquaintance. To accommodate the private trip, several court hearings in Israel were already canceled or postponed, including defamation lawsuits he filed against various journalists.

In response to the reports, Ben Gvir’s office issued a sharp statement defending his conduct. It said that every Israeli citizen applying for a U.S. visa must provide fingerprints, and that Ben Gvir was not above the public. Because the trip was mainly private, the office said, he chose not to use his ministerial status and instead requested a regular visa like any other citizen.

The office also criticized the media coverage, saying that instead of praising a minister who acts like an ordinary person and does not seek special treatment, reporters were questioning why he did not use his position. It added, “There is no limit to the persecution and the attempt to turn everything into a headline.”