Protesters confront far-right Israeli national security minister, attack his wife in central Israel

ISTANBUL

Ultra-Orthodox protesters confronted far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and attacked his wife during a visit to a Haredi neighborhood in central Israel, police said on Thursday.

The confrontation erupted in the Ramat Beit Shemesh neighborhood, where demonstrators surrounded Ben-Gvir’s vehicle, attempted to damage it, and injured his wife, Ayala, according to police.

Officers said they were “compelled to use force to repel” the attackers and arrested at least one suspect.

In a statement, Ben-Gvir said he and his wife had stopped in the area and called the police to report Palestinian flags painted on the side of a building. He said they were then attacked by members of the anti-Zionism Neturei Karta group.

Ben-Gvir’s spokesperson said demonstrators shouted anti-enlistment slogans, calling the far-right minister a “Zionist” and a “murderer.”

The statement said Ayala Ben-Gvir “was violently attacked by an activist who slapped her.”

“Ayala defended herself and slapped her back,” the spokesperson said, noting that police used “stun grenades, batons and other means” to disperse demonstrators who were waving Palestinian flags.

In a video recorded at the scene, Ben-Gvir can be seen standing beside graffiti of Palestinian flags while shouting over protesters. “It’s a shame and a disgrace,” and vowing that Beit Shemesh “will not become an extraterritorial domain outside the bounds of the law.”

Ben-Gvir, who is notorious for anti-Palestinian rhetoric, pledged that law enforcement would act decisively.