Gallows Cake at Ben-Gvir's Birthday Sparks Public Condemnation
TEL AVIV – The celebration of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's 50th birthday has provoked strong public reactions after footage emerged showing his wife presenting a cake with a gallows symbol, interpreted as an allusion to the death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners.
TL;DR
- A birthday cake with a gallows symbol was presented at Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's 50th birthday celebration.
- The symbol was interpreted as an allusion to a law recently passed by the Israeli parliament introducing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of nationalist-motivated killings.
- The celebration was attended by police officials, prison service members, and far-right activists.
- Footage of the event and a congratulatory call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were shared online.
- The cake and its symbolism sparked widespread outrage on social media, with users denouncing it as a celebration of crime and a violation of humanitarian values.
- Human rights organizations have condemned the death penalty law as discriminatory and draconian, and have raised concerns about institutionalized rights violations in prisons.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu voted in favor of the death penalty law, which Ben-Gvir championed as a sign of the state's strength.