Itamar Ben-Gvir (born May 6, 1976, in Mevaseret Zion near Jerusalem, Israel) is an Israeli far-right politician and lawyer who leads the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party. He is known for his extremist, ultranationalist and Kahanist views and is widely described as a disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane; his party is considered the ideological successor to the banned Kach movement and is associated with advocacy of Jewish supremacy. Ben-Gvir’s early political activism included associations with extremist Kahanist groups, which contributed to his exemption from mandatory IDF service. He has led Otzma Yehudit since 2019; the party gained prominence in the 2022 Israeli legislative election by securing six seats as part of the Religious Zionism list, contributing to the list’s total of 14 seats and becoming a significant force in Israel’s thirty-seventh government. He served as Israel’s Minister of National Security from 2022, with a brief interruption from January to March 2025, overseeing national security matters including the police. Ben-Gvir has closely collaborated with figures such as Bentzi Gopstein, and his party’s anti-Arab and ultranationalist positions have drawn widespread criticism. He remains a controversial and influential figure in Israeli politics, playing a key role in shaping security policies and national identity. His father worked at a gasoline company and was involved in writing.