Washington - Saeed Erekat - April 29, 2029

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, held meetings with four Republican members of Congress on Monday during a visit to the Capitol. (U.S. Capitol)

Ben-Gvir, an outspoken supporter of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, said that among the lawmakers he met was Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who previously volunteered in the Israeli military and wore an IDF uniform at the Capitol.

Mast is a strong supporter of Israeli settlements and recently directed his staff to refer to the Israeli-occupied West Bank as "Judea and Samaria," a biblical name used by the State of Israel to refer to the Palestinian territories.

It is noteworthy that Ben-Gvir is a settler in the West Bank, and is working with his supporters in the United States and Israel to annex the West Bank.

Ben-Gvir also met with Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Mike Lawler (R-NY). The Israeli minister said he did not come to discuss a specific issue, but rather wanted the American lawmakers to get to know him.

"I didn't ask them afterward if they would vote for Ben-Gvir, but they wanted to get to know me, and I think they really liked what they heard from me," he said.

Ben-Gvir added that the lawmakers expressed their full support for Israel and did not pressure him to change his policies. These meetings come as Israel kills dozens of Palestinians in Gaza daily and has imposed a comprehensive blockade on the territory since March 2, with children starving.

Ben-Gvir had called on Israel to bomb food and aid warehouses inside Gaza, claiming he received support for the idea from senior Republican officials he met at US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last week. The Israeli minister faced protests during his travels in the United States and was confronted by anti-war activists while at the Capitol.

"Israeli war criminal Itamar Ben-Gvir is powerless to confront the protesters at the US Capitol," Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin said in a post on X, which included a video of the confrontation with Ben-Gvir. Benjamin added, "As Minister of National Security, Ben-Gvir openly supported ethnic cleansing in Gaza and deliberately bombed civilians, aid, and civilian infrastructure."