Israel's Hardline Minister Cancels US Trip After Visa Complications
Israel’s provocative National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has cancelled a planned trip to the United States due to visa issues. The hardline minister reportedly encountered difficulties in obtaining a US visa recently.
According to reports from Anadolu Agency and The Times of Israel on Wednesday (17/6/2026), Israeli media, including the daily Haaretz, stated that the US Embassy informed Ben-Gvir he would need to appear in person to provide biometric fingerprints as a requirement for obtaining the visa.
This unusual step of requiring fingerprints was apparently triggered by Ben-Gvir’s criminal record. He is known to have several past convictions, including for disturbing public order, inciting racism, and supporting a terrorist group.
Meanwhile, according to Israeli media, the requirement was interpreted as a sign of US reluctance to grant Ben-Gvir a visa. Although Ben-Gvir went to the US Embassy to provide his fingerprints and was interviewed by officials there, he ultimately decided to cancel his entire travel plan to the US.
Ben-Gvir reportedly told associates that he was concerned the visa would not be issued in time for his flight. In a statement to Channel 13, Ben-Gvir’s office explained that the controversial minister had decided to voluntarily forgo the option of a diplomatic passport because most of his travel plans were personal, and had instead applied for a regular visa. However, the statement did not explain why he ultimately did not travel at all.
Furthermore, Ben-Gvir reportedly asked the Jerusalem Court to postpone a defamation lawsuit he had filed against a journalist, citing his trip to the US as having ‘diplomatic importance’. This report contradicted his office’s claim that the trip was a ‘private visit’.
Ben-Gvir’s travel plans to the US had already sparked controversy when they were revealed a month earlier. Israeli media reports stated that the trip’s expenses, amounting to tens of thousands of Shekels, would be paid by an Israeli businessman living in Miami, Yaakov Elharar, an associate of Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir and his wife were scheduled to attend the wedding of Elharar’s daughter in Miami.
The matter was brought before the State Comptroller’s Permits Committee, which handles ethical conduct and conflicts of interest, and the committee decided to deny permission for Elharar to cover the costs of Ben-Gvir’s visit to the US. According to a Haaretz report, Ben-Gvir agreed to pay for the trip himself, but ultimately cancelled his departure.