Overview
- Ben-Gvir called off a planned family trip to Miami after the U.S. Embassy in Israel told him he must appear in person to submit biometric fingerprints, a request reported on Monday.
- The national security minister holds a diplomatic passport but his office says he voluntarily applied for a regular U.S. visa because the journey was mainly private and he did not want special treatment.
- Israeli outlets reported that Ben-Gvir first sought for the host businessman to fund the trip and then agreed to pay himself after criticism from the state comptroller, raising questions about the trip’s financing.
- Some Israeli media treated the embassy’s fingerprint demand as a sign of U.S. reluctance to grant him entry, a reading driven by the contrast between normal visa rules and the minister’s cabinet status.
- Diplomatic passport holders normally get different consular processing, so the fingerprint request has reputational and diplomatic implications for Ben-Gvir and comes as Italian prosecutors pursue a separate probe into his conduct on a Gaza flotilla visit.