'You're a clown!': Ben-Gvir faces verbal assault from residents during visit to northern Israel

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Israel Politics"You are making a fool of yourself," residents shouted at him. "You're a clown. Everyone is laughing at you. You are a champion of failure. They didn't even give you a visa to the United States."Follow us on GoogleOtzma Yehudit party chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, together with members of his party, attends a supporters’ conference ahead of the upcoming general elections in Petah Tikva, central Israel, August 16, 2026.(photo credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)ByYOAV ETIELAUGUST 19, 2026 10:46National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited a village in northern Israel on Tuesday and was met with insults and ridicule from local residents.Ben-Gvir toured the streets of Basmat Tabun accompanied by heavy security and faced a barrage of curses and harsh criticism from residents over his performance."You are making a fool of yourself," residents shouted at him. "You're a clown. Everyone is laughing at you. You are a champion of failure. They didn't even give you a visa to the United States." Residents heard in a video even called the minister a "terrorist," saying, "A minister convicted of terrorism, you're a terrorist. Go to a mental institution - you shouldn't be here. You incite terror."The video published Tuesday came against the backdrop of two other recent incidents in which the Arab public voiced harsh criticism against Ben-Gvir and Israel Police.Earlier this week, residents of Umm al-Fahm claimed that Israeli police forces raided a wedding in the city and ordered guests to lie on the floor. Video footage from the incident shows police officers with drawn weapons walking among guests lying on the ground.National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showcases an execution facility for the hanging of convicted terrorists being built within the already-constructed death row prisoner wing in central Israel, August 18, 2026. (credit: Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Office)Wedding interruptions by police called 'political stunts'The police explained that "the activity documented in the video was conducted following suspicion of weapons use during a wedding." They further stated: "Accordingly, police forces and officers operated at the scene to inspect suspicions and locate weapons."Dr. Yousef Jabareen, chairman of Hadash and a resident of Umm al-Fahm, attacked Ben-Gvir following the incident: "I explicitly accuse Ben Gvir of exploiting his authority to harm and persecute the Arab public, because it serves him in his election campaign."In another incident over the weekend, police detained a bride and groom from the south for questioning after claiming their wedding convoy disrupted traffic.The couple claimed that due to the detention, they arrived late to their own wedding and some guests had already left. The groom and his father pointed the finger at Ben-Gvir, claiming he "used them for a political stunt."Ben-Gvir, for his part, responded to the wedding convoy incident: "We are putting an end to wild wedding convoys in the Negev and shooting at weddings that endanger human lives. They will keep babbling, and I will keep working."Follow us on Google