Itamar Ben-Gvir Marks 50th Birthday With Noose Cake Linked to Death Penalty Law

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir marked his 50th birthday with a cake decorated with a noose, a gesture that multiple outlets tied directly to the Knesset’s death-penalty legislation for Palestinian detainees.

“Toggle Play Ben-Gvir celebrates birthday with cake decorated with death penalty noose Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday with a cake decorated with a noose in reference to the newly-passed death penalty for Palestinian detainees”

Al Jazeera

The Jerusalem Post reported that during the party in Emunim, Ben-Gvir’s wife Ayala Ben-Gvir presented him with a cake “decorated with a drawing of a hanging noose,” with the message “Mazal tov to Minister Ben-Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera described the same birthday moment as a reference to “the newly-passed death penalty for Palestinian detainees,” saying the cake was “decorated with a noose in reference to the newly-passed death penalty.”

Roya News similarly said the cake carried the message “Congratulations Minister Ben Gvir. Sometimes dreams come true,” and that critics viewed it as a symbolic reference to “'Israel’s' recently passed death penalty legislation targeting Palestinian detainees.”

Several reports also placed the birthday event near Ashdod, with Al Arabiya saying the celebration took place “near the city of Ashdod,” and Watan News describing the ceremony as taking place “yesterday, Saturday, on the occasion of his 50th birthday.”

In parallel, multiple outlets linked the imagery to the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law,” describing it as a measure championed by Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party and approved by the Knesset in March 2026.

The birthday cake controversy unfolded against the backdrop of a death-penalty statute that multiple sources described as newly passed and specifically aimed at Palestinian detainees.

Roya News said the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law” was “passed by 'Israel’s' Knesset in March 2026,” and that it “introduces capital punishment for Palestinians allegedly convicted of carrying out attacks classified as terrorism.”

Le Média en 4-4-2

Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party were described as strongly supporting and advancing the measure, with Roya News saying the law was “initiated by Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party and passed after multiple readings in the 'Israeli' parliament.”

Le Média en 4-4-2 described the law as establishing “hanging as the automatic punishment for Palestinians in the West Bank found guilty of murders qualified as acts of terrorism,” and said it “applies exclusively in Israeli military courts and provides for accelerated executions.”

Watan News added a specific parliamentary vote count, saying the Knesset “officially approved on March 30 the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners” and that it was “passed by a 62-48 vote, with one abstention.”

Across the reporting, the law was also framed as discriminatory and tied to limited judicial discretion, with Roya News saying it “mandates execution, typically by hanging, for those convicted in military courts, with limited judicial discretion in sentencing,” and with Al Jazeera stating the law has been “widely condemned as discriminatory.”

The birthday celebration also became a focus for criticism because senior police and prison officials attended a politically charged event.

“Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio”

Roya News

The Jerusalem Post reported that “Many senior officers from the top ranks of the Israel Police and Israel Prison Service attended National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s 50th birthday party on Saturday night,” and it listed commanders including Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled, Judea and Samaria District Commander Moshe Pinchi, Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, Superintendent Sami Marciano, Central District Commander Amir Cohen, and others.

It said Police Commissioner Danny Levy approved senior officers from the national general command staff to attend, while clarifying that officers not in that staff were prohibited, and it described the national general command staff as “27 senior officers, among them four deputy commissioners and 23 commanders.”

The Jerusalem Post quoted the police distribution message: “This evening, a birthday celebration will take place for Minister Ben-Gvir,” and said it added, “Officers and commanders who are not members of the forum and were invited are not permitted to attend.”

During the event, the Jerusalem Post said “the minister’s wife, Ayala Ben-Gvir, presented him with a cake decorated with a drawing of a hanging noose,” and it included the inscription “Mazal tov to Minister Ben-Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.”

Other outlets described the same gathering as involving police and prison-service officials alongside far-right activists, with Watan News saying the ceremony was attended by “several Israeli police and prison-service officials, along with far-right activists.”

Public reaction to the birthday cake and the death-penalty law came through named political figures and organizations, with multiple outlets quoting sharp language.

The Jerusalem Post reported that former prime minister Naftali Bennett responded by saying, “The tens of thousands of dedicated and good police officers of Israel deserve honest, efficient, and statesmanlike leadership that sets a personal example,” and he added, “I announce: Any public servant, in any role and in any government organization, who violates their duty of loyalty to the state and exploits their position in a political and non statesmanlike manner, will be dismissed immediately.”

The Jerusalem Post

It also quoted Ben-Gvir’s reply to Bennett: “Naftali has no friends and no working relationships either, send him a cake from the party.”

The Jerusalem Post further included criticism from Democrats chairman Yair Golan, who called it “This disgrace, in which a police commissioner sends commanders to humiliate themselves at a political celebration while crime is raging, is a spit in the face of the citizens,” and it quoted MK Naama Lazimi saying, “Ben-Gvir is a serial offender and vindictive man with the codes of a crime organization.”

In the same Jerusalem Post report, the Abraham Initiatives said, “On the day the number of murder victims in crime within Arab society crossed 100 since the start of the year, an all-time record, the national security minister should have gone to the media and provided answers about his criminal policy of neglect.”

Al Jazeera added commentary from social media, including Ghada Oweis writing on X: “Ben-Gvir celebrates with his wife on his birthday with a cake bearing an execution rope in celebration of the Palestinian death-penalty law! Is there anyone more sick than him?”

While the core facts of the cake and the death-penalty law were consistent across outlets, the framing varied—especially around what the symbol meant and how the law was characterized.

“Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated his fiftieth birthday by receiving a cake from his wife Ayala, designed in the shape of a noose, in a clear signal of support for the death-penalty law for Palestinian prisoners that he promotes”

Al-Tilfaziyun al-Arabi

The Jerusalem Post treated the event as a matter of police conduct and political appropriateness, focusing on “harsh political criticism” and the attendance of senior officers, and it anchored the controversy in Bennett’s warning that any public servant who “violates their duty of loyalty to the state” would be dismissed.

Jarida Al-Jarida Al-Kuwaitiya

Al Jazeera and Roya News framed the cake as a direct reference to the death-penalty legislation, with Al Jazeera saying it was “in reference to the newly-passed death penalty for Palestinian detainees” and Roya News describing critics’ view that it was “a symbolic reference to 'Israel’s' recently passed death penalty legislation targeting Palestinian detainees.”

Le Média en 4-4-2 went further in describing the law’s legal mechanics, stating the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law” “establishes hanging as the automatic punishment” and that it “provides for accelerated executions,” and it tied the birthday cake to “the success” of executing Palestinians.

In contrast, the Arabic-language outlets emphasized the provocative nature of the imagery and the broader political and international reaction, with Al Arabiya saying the gesture was “described as provocative to the Palestinians” and that it came amid sanctions and travel bans imposed by multiple countries in June 2025.

Watan News and the Kuwaiti paper Jريدة الجريدة الكويتية both described the ceremony as attended by officials and far-right activists and said the cake signaled Knesset approval, with Watan News stating the cake “signaling the occupation's approval of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners,” and Jريدة الجريدة الكويتية saying the cake “carries a reference to the Knesset’s approval of a law to execute Palestinian prisoners.”

The sources portray the birthday episode as intensifying scrutiny of Ben-Gvir’s role in detention policy and the death-penalty framework, with consequences extending into political accountability and international condemnation.

Roya News said the controversy comes “amid broader scrutiny of 'Israel’s' detention policies in the occupied territories,” and it described ongoing disputes over “legal standards, military court jurisdiction, and detainees' treatment,” while noting that rights groups argue the law raises concerns over “equality before the law and due process protections.”

The Jerusalem Post’s account of the party also set up a potential institutional consequence, because Bennett’s statement said that any public servant who “violates their duty of loyalty to the state and exploits their position” would be “dismissed immediately.”

The same report said Police Commissioner Danny Levy had issued a directive limiting attendance to members of the national senior command forum, and it quoted the instruction that “only members of the national senior command forum may attend the birthday celebration,” which becomes part of the controversy over whether uniformed officials crossed political boundaries.

Al Jazeera’s framing tied the birthday symbol to the “newly-passed death penalty,” and it described the law as “widely condemned as discriminatory,” implying that the political backlash is linked to the statute’s application to Palestinian detainees.

Al Arabiya added that “several countries in June 2025” imposed sanctions and banned Ben-Gvir’s travel, listing Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands and Spain, and it said the Knesset had “in March approved a law enabling the execution of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.”