Israel far-right minister Ben-Gvir says US Republicans support bombing aid depots, triggering protests in Yale

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday claimed that Republican lawmakers, the governing party in the US, support the bombing of "food and aid depots" in Gaza on social media, after meeting with senior government officials in a controversial visit to the country.

Ben-Gvir said he met the officials at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, saying they support his position regarding Gaza and the bombing of food and aid depots "in order to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home safely".

The minister’s office later told Israeli media that Republican Congressman Tom Emmer was among the lawmakers present at the meeting, without naming any of the others in attendance.

Emmer has previously voiced support for Israel amid the ongoing war on Gaza, blaming Hamas for the over 61,700 Palestinians killed in the Israeli assault on the besieged enclave.

Ben-Gvir did not meet with Trump but reportedly spoke with "dozens of senior businessmen from Miami".

Following the meeting, Ben-Gvir was set to address a gathering at Yale University, however, protests broke out denouncing his scheduled visit. 

Around 200 student protesters set up an overnight demonstration on Beinecke Plaza on Tuesday evening, before Ben-Gvir was set to attend a meeting of Shabtai – a Jewish society based at the university. The group does not have formal ties with Yale, but its members are made up of students and alumni of the university.

Protesters erected tents at the site, chanting "Free Palestine" and "Yale, your hands are red", while at least eight police officers and public safety officials gathered to monitor the situation.

A Free Expression Facilitator at the protest handed cards to demonstrators with QR codes printed on them, which linked to Yale’s free expression policies. It also contained a notice reading: "Please stop your current action immediately. If you do not, you may risk university disciplinary action and/or arrest."

The protest was dispersed at around 11pm after university officials warned people of the institution's policies.

 Yale College also withdrew Yalies4Palestine’s status as a registered student group following their alleged role in planning the demonstration, Yale Daily News reported.

The decision means the group will no longer be able to reserve Yale spaces, request funding, use the university's name, participate in a student activities bazaar, or enjoy other privileges.

A spokesperson at Sumud Coalition, a pro-Palestine group at the campus, told local media that the protest was made up of "an autonomous group of students who object to Ben-Gvir's presence and Yale's silence about it".

A statement from Ben-Gvir’s office said the demonstration was an "attempt to prevent a speech by the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir – who was invited to speak at the venue".  The office also confirmed that no one was hurt in the protest.

Ben-Gvir is set to attend another event hosted by Shabtai in New York on Thursday, before he leaves for Washington next week.

The protests at Yale come almost a year after mass demonstrations broke out at the site over Israel’s continued war on Gaza, with students demanding that Yale divest from military weapons manufacturers.

The protests against Ben-Gvir and the ongoing war on Gaza come as Israel continues to bombard the Strip and block all aid from entering. Over 61,700 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023, the Gaza government media office states.