Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has arrived in Georgia on an official visit. The far-right politician, who has been sanctioned by several countries for inciting violence against Palestinians, met with representatives of the Georgian government. In protest of the visit, a group of demonstrators unfurled a giant Palestinian flag in the center of Tbilisi.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry released information about Ben-Gvir’s visit on Monday. According to the statement, Ben-Gvir arrived in Georgia with a delegation and met with Interior Minister Gela Geladze.
The ministry noted that both sides focused on the ‘existing close and effective cooperation’, and emphasised the ‘importance of sharing experience and best practices’, with Geladze expressing readiness ‘to expand cooperation with the Israeli side in various areas’.
According to Israeli media, Ben-Gvir also met with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. However, neither Kobakhidze’s official social media channels nor those of the Georgian government published any information about this meeting or, more broadly, about Ben-Gvir’s visit.
On Tuesday, the Georgian government’s administration confirmed to OC Media that Ben-Gvir did meet with Kobakhidze. However, they described it as an ‘informal, introductory meeting’ that was not part of the official programme of the visit.
The Israeli outlet Israel National News reported that Ben-Gvir’s meeting with Kobakhidze took place ‘as part of efforts to deepen political and security ties between the two countries’.
According to the outlet, Ben-Gvir ‘presented photos of armed Hamas terrorists seizing humanitarian aid trucks in Gaza’ to Kobakhidze. The article further noted that the minister reiterated to Kobakhidze the Israeli government’s claim that ‘there is no famine or food shortage in the Strip’, a statement that contradicts a recently published report by a UN-affiliated body that said there is widespread famine in the area.
‘The State of Israel is defeating Iran and Hezbollah, and is also fighting Hamas in Gaza. Humanity cannot allow Hamas to remain in Gaza, and it must be destroyed’, Ben-Gvir said, as quoted by Israel National News.
In turn, Kobakhidze reportedly said that the Georgian authorities sought to ‘strengthen the bond between our countries and peoples’.
‘We maintain excellent relations with the Jewish community in Georgia and with the many Israeli tourists here, and we would be happy to visit Israel’, he added.
Israel National News further reported that, in the framework of the visit, Ben-Gvir will also tour ‘several key sites connected to Georgia’s police and prison service’, where he will receive ‘briefings on operational methods and the security challenges faced by the country’s enforcement bodies’.
In June 2025, the UK, together with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, imposed sanctions on Ben-Gvir, as well as on Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Yoel Smotrich, citing ‘incitements of violence against Palestinian communities’ as the reason.
Action on the Bridge of Peace
In response to Ben-Gvir’s visit, a group of activists unfurled a giant Palestinian flag from the Bridge of Peace in central Tbilisi on Monday.
‘The genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel has been ongoing for almost two years. Any cooperation with the State of Israel means complicity in genocide’, the organisers of the action said in a statement sent to OC Media, adding that ‘the position of the Georgian government is a disgrace’.
The Georgian Dream government has largely avoided taking a clear stance on Israel’s war in Gaza, with Georgia largely abstaining from several resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly regarding the ceasefire and the occupation of the West Bank.
However, the Israeli Embassy raised an eyebrow at the visit of Kobakhidze and then-Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili to Tehran in May 2024 for the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which was attended, among others, by representatives of Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.
At the time, Israel’s ambassador to Georgia, Hadas Meitzad, told IPN that the Georgian officials’ visit there was ‘surprising’.
Later, Kobakhidze also attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran.
Israel expressed bolder dissatisfaction in July 2025 over the visit of Georgia’s Deputy Interior Minister Alexandre Khvtisiashvili to an event at the Iranian Embassy, which, according to the embassy, paid tribute to the ‘martyrs who died during the Israeli regime’s armed attack against Iran’s territorial integrity’.
In response to a question from RFE/RL about Khvtisiashvili’s attendance, the Israeli Embassy in Georgia said it was ‘shocked to learn’ that he had participated.
‘At a time when the West condemns Iran’s attacks on Israeli civilians and supports efforts to stop its nuclear and genocidal ambitions, it is deeply disappointing to see [Khvtisiashvili] participating in such an event. This is morally wrong’, the embassy said.
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