Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Cancels US Trip After Visa Difficulties

Even holding a senior cabinet position in the Israeli government does not guarantee seamless entry into the United States.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has abruptly canceled a planned family vacation to Florida following significant difficulties obtaining a travel visa from the U.S. Embassy.

The cancellation, first reported by Channel 12 News, highlights strict U.S. diplomatic screening procedures.

Ben-Gvir was explicitly instructed to report to the embassy on Monday for fingerprinting. Rather than comply with the administrative demand, the far-right minister opted to abandon the travel plans entirely.

Funding Controversies

The aborted trip was originally intended for Miami, where Ben-Gvir planned to attend the wedding of Yaakov Elharar's daughter, a locally based Israeli businessman.

According to Haaretz, the minister sought to have Elharar finance the excursion, but after facing criticism, he was forced to formally withdraw the request for external funding and finance the trip himself.

The travel was estimated to cost tens of thousands of shekels, and security personnel from the Prime Minister's Office were slated to accompany the family at state expense.

Legal Fallout

The travel plans also triggered a financial penalty in domestic courts.

Prior to the visa complications, Ben-Gvir petitioned the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court to postpone a scheduled hearing for a libel lawsuit he initiated against Haaretz.

In his legal filing, Ben-Gvir claimed the delay was necessary because he planned to conduct "meetings of a diplomatic character" while in the U.S., framing the Miami wedding as merely an "individual event."

No such diplomatic meetings were known to be scheduled.

The court ultimately approved the postponement but leveled a 12,500 shekel ($4,300) fine against the minister, dismissing his petition for the delay as meager and unexplained.