Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, marked his 50th birthday with a cake featuring a golden noose, just over a month after successfully campaigning for the death penalty for Palestinian terrorist convicts. Footage on social media showed the cake, presented by his wife Ayala, bearing the message 'Sometimes dreams come true'.
The golden noose has become a symbol for Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party, which campaigned for the death penalty exclusively for Palestinian terrorism convicts. Many politicians wore golden noose pins in the Knesset during the campaign. Israel's legislature passed a law in March making death by hanging the default sentence for terrorism-related offences.
The event, attended by senior Israeli officials and police figures, took place at a villa in southern Israel. However, it sparked controversy as homicide levels in Israel have reached record highs. Two days before the party, two men were shot dead in central Israel, bringing the year's death toll to 111, including 95 Arab citizens.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett called on police officers not to attend, warning that any public servant exploiting their position politically would be dismissed. Ben-Gvir retorted on X: 'Naftali has no friends, and also no work relationships — send him a cake from the party.'
Human rights organisations and world leaders have criticised the death penalty legislation as discriminatory, primarily affecting West Bank Palestinians. The foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, France, Italy, New Zealand and the UK expressed concern that it would undermine democratic principles.
