Israel’s Ben-Gvir apologises to Biden after son claims he has Alzheimer’s

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, issued an apology following his son’s online suggestion that US President Joe Biden was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

In a post on X, Shuvael Ben-Gvir emphasised the importance of raising awareness of the degenerative brain condition, particularly given Biden’s age of 81 and his bid for re-election, which has drawn attention to his seniority.

“It is a serious disease that affects a person’s functions and ability and the most common cause of cognitive decline and dementia in older people,” he wrote.

שובאל, בנו של השר לביטחון לאומי איתמר בן גביר, צייץ נגד הנשיא ביידן – "אלצהיימר – מחלה הפוגעת בתפקוד האדם וביכולתו להתנהל". הציוץ נמחק. השר בן גביר התנצל: "הוא עשה טעות חמורה בציוץ שאני מסתייג ממנו עמוקות"@shemeshmicha pic.twitter.com/l2Mi23V30d

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 6, 2024

Although the post was later deleted, Ben-Gvir, expressed disapproval of his son’s actions, acknowledging it as a “serious error.” He affirmed the strong friendship between Israel and the United States, emphasising Biden’s status as a friend to Israel.

“The United States of America is our great friend and President Biden is a friend of Israel,” he wrote in Hebrew.

There was no place for such “derogatory” comments, he said, adding: “I apologise for my son’s words.”

שובאל בני, אהוב לי מכל. אבל הלילה הוא עשה טעות חמורה בציוץ שאני מסתייג ממנו עמוקות.
ארצות הברית של אמריקה היא ידידתנו הגדולה והנשיא ביידן הוא ידיד ישראל. גם אם יש לי מחלוקת עם התנהלותו, אין שום מקום חלילה לסגנון מזלזל.
כבוד לבריות זה א׳ ב׳, כך אני מחנך את ילדיי.
מתנצל על דברי…

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) February 6, 2024

It comes days after the hardline minister attacked the Biden administration, accusing it of “harming the war effort” in the Gaza Strip. “Instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza, which goes to Hamas,” Ben-Gvir told the Wall Street Journal.

“If Trump were in power, the US conduct would be completely different,” he added.

Washington has been critical of calls by Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following a 7 October Hamas attack, killing at least 27,365 Palestinians and injuring 66,630 others.

The Israeli offensive has left 85 per cent of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

READ: Israel using hunger as ‘weapon’ against Palestinians in Gaza: UN expert