You can't understand modern Israel by treating Itamar Ben Gvir as a glitch in the system. For years, outside observers viewed the firebrand National Security Minister as a fringe lunatic, a political side show who would eventually be pushed back to the margins. That was a massive miscalculation.
Look at what happened at the Ashdod naval base. Ben Gvir didn't just show up; he literally shoved his way past a navy lieutenant colonel and a colonel who tried to block his path. He boarded an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla ship, whipped out his phone, and filmed himself taunting bound, kneeling international activists. "Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords," he announced while waving a giant Israeli flag.
The stunt sparked massive global fury. France slammed his actions as unspeakable, and diplomatic tensions boiled over with Italy. Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar publicly scolded him, with Sa'ar flatly stating, "You are not the face of Israel."
But here is the uncomfortable truth: for a massive chunk of the Israeli electorate, he is exactly that.
The Myth of the Radical Outlier
Western commentators love to compartmentalize Israeli politics. They want to believe there's a neat, clean barrier between mainstream Israeli conservatism and Ben Gvir’s brand of ultranationalism. It helps people sleep at night. It lets foreign governments pretend they are dealing with a standard Western-style democracy that just happens to have a few colorful characters in the cabinet.
That barrier is completely gone. Ben Gvir isn't a political anomaly; he's the logical conclusion of a decades-long rightward shift in Israeli society.
To understand how he got here, you have to look at his roots. This is a guy who couldn't even serve in the Israel Defense Forces because the military deemed him too radical. In 1995, a teenage Ben Gvir famously ripped the Cadillac hood ornament off Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car, bragging on television, "We got to his car, and we'll get to him too." Weeks later, Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing extremist.
For decades, Ben Gvir was a serial provocateur. He racked up over 50 indictments and was convicted of incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist organization. He openly hung a portrait of Baruch Goldstein—the terrorist who massacred 29 Muslim worshipers in Hebron—in his living room.
Yet today, this same man controls the police force. He hands out assault rifles to civilian security squads. He dictates terms to Netanyahu. When Ben Gvir slammed the US-brokered Lebanon ceasefire as a serious mistake, his words carried weight because everyone knows he can topple the government whenever he feels like it. He isn't riding the coattails of the Israeli right. He is driving the bus.
Why the Flotilla Stunt Actually Worked for Him
The global outrage over the flotilla video missed the point entirely. When the video dropped, international human rights groups and foreign ministries went into a frenzy. They thought the footage of bound, kneeling activists being pushed to the ground would ruin him.
It did the exact opposite. Ben Gvir’s entire political brand is built on being a bully for his base. His supporters don't want a diplomat; they want a landlord. They are tired of what they perceive as years of Israeli weakness, international lecturing, and strategic hesitation.
When Ben Gvir brawls with army officers to get on that boat, his voters don't see a breakdown of military discipline. They see a leader who refuses to be stopped by red tape. When he tells handcuffed activists that Israelis are the masters of the house, his base feels a rush of pride.
Political analysts in Jerusalem point out that with upcoming elections looming, Ben Gvir is intentionally drawing a line between himself and the rest of the right. By forcing Netanyahu and Sa'ar to criticize him, he positions himself as the only "true" nationalist who doesn't care about pleasing Washington or European capitals. It's brilliant, ruthless political theater.
The Structural Takeover of the State
The real danger Ben Gvir poses isn't his Twitter feed or his viral videos. It's what he's doing to the infrastructure of Israeli law enforcement. Since taking over the National Security Ministry, he has systematically transformed the police force from a state institution into a political tool.
- Politicizing the Police: He has repeatedly pressured police commanders to crack down harshly on left-wing anti-government protesters while demanding leniency for right-wing settlers who attack Palestinians in the West Bank.
- Weaponizing Civilians: Under the guise of national security, he aggressively relaxed gun permit regulations, flooding the streets with thousands of weapons and setting up armed neighborhood watches answerable to his ideological goals.
- Undermining the Military: His recent stunt at Ashdod shows he no longer respects the boundaries between civilian political authority and military command. Shouting down a colonel and threatening to ruin their career isn't just bad manners; it's an assault on the chain of command.
This isn't a temporary policy shift. He's rewriting the rules of how Israel governs itself. Even if Netanyahu’s coalition falls tomorrow, the structural changes Ben Gvir has injected into the police force and the broader security apparatus will take a generation to undo.
Where Does Israel Go From Here?
If you are looking at Israel from the outside, stop waiting for a moderate savior to magically restore the old status quo. The political center of gravity has moved permanently. The old guard is terrified of Ben Gvir because they know he speaks to a raw, vengeful undercurrent in Israeli society that grew exponentially louder after the horrors of recent conflicts.
If you want to understand where Israeli politics are heading, watch how mainstream politicians react to him. They don't fight his ideas; they try to mimic them to keep from losing voters. That's how you win a cultural shift. You don't even need to be Prime Minister if you can force the Prime Minister to adopt your worldview.
For anyone analyzing, reporting on, or dealing with the Middle East, the next step is simple: stop treating Ben Gvir like a fringe actor. Track his policy directives, not just his stunts. Watch who he appoints to senior police roles. Pay attention to how many weapons he distributes to civilian groups. The fight for the identity of the state isn't coming in the future. It's happening right now, and the guy with the Cadillac logo has his hands firmly on the wheel.
