Full Breakdown
Senior Police Attendance at Itamar Ben-Gvir’s 50th Birthday Fuels Debate Over Politicization and Death-Penalty Symbolism
5/3/2026, 7:56:12 PM
The Birthday Celebration and Attendance Rules
On 2 May 2026 National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir marked his 50th birthday at Villa Space in the agricultural community of Emunim, near Ashdod. Police Commissioner Danny Levy approved attendance for members of the police’s national senior command forum – a body of 27 senior officers (four deputy commissioners and 23 commanders). A memo circulated to the force stipulated that “police officers who are not members of the senior command and have been invited to the event are not permitted to attend.” Senior Israel Prison Service officials were also invited.
Background: Ben-Gvir’s Portfolio and Recent Death-Penalty Legislation
Ben-Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister, oversees the Israel Police and the Israel Prison Service. In March 2026 his coalition passed a law expanding the death penalty to Palestinian detainees accused of killing Israelis, a measure condemned by UN watchdogs and several European governments as discriminatory. The law’s passage intensified scrutiny of Ben-Gvir’s influence over law-enforcement agencies.
Key Figures: Senior Police, Prison Officials, and Political Guests
Attendees from the police and prison services included Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled, Judea-and-Samaria District Commander Moshe Pinchi, Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, Superintendent Sami Marciano (Ben-Gvir’s security secretary), Central District Commander Amir Cohen, Southern District Police chief Haim Bublil, and prison district commanders Sagi Shlomi, Yuval Erlich and Shmuel Lavi. Reported political guests comprised Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, rapper Yoav Eliasi and extremist activist Bentzi Gopstein.
Data: Senior Command Forum and Attendance Limits
The senior command forum consists of 27 officers. Levy’s directive limited attendance to this group, explicitly excluding lower-rank officers who may have received invitations. Several senior officers reportedly did not receive invitations and had no intention to attend.
Official Statements & Responses
Levy’s memo emphasized that only senior commanders could attend, arguing that “they are already considered the most senior figures in the organization.” Former prime minister Naftali Bennett posted on X that any public servant who exploits a role for political purposes “will be immediately dismissed.” Democrats chairman Yair Golan called the attendance “a disgrace… a spit in the face of the citizens.” Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz described the permission as “a grave incident in the moral and ethical sense.” The High Court recently ordered Ben-Gvir, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to negotiate limits on the minister’s influence over police work; Ben-Gvir responded that he would continue appointing officers who implement his policy.
Criticism & Opposition
Critics argue the party’s celebration undermines police independence and normalizes extremist symbolism. Bennett warned that politicized officials threaten the rule of law, while MK Naama Lazimi labeled Ben-Gvir a “serial offender” whose actions prioritize loyalty over public duty. Human-rights groups and several foreign governments condemned the noose-themed cake as a celebration of lethal policy.
On-the-Ground Details: Noose Cake and Symbolic Imagery
The centerpiece cake displayed a large hanging noose with the Hebrew inscription “Congratulations to Minister Ben-Gvir. Sometimes dreams come true.” A second, smaller cake also featured a noose. The bottom tier of the main cake showed two guns aimed at a map of Israel that included Gaza and the West Bank, underscoring Ben-Gvir’s hard-line firearm policies.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the full roster of political guests; some list additional far-right figures (e.g., Yoav Eliasi, Bentzi Gopstein) while others omit them. The exact number of senior officers who ultimately attended remains unspecified, and the extent to which lower-rank officers were formally invited is unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Any public servant, in any role and in any government agency, who breaches his fiduciary duty to the country and exploits his role in a political and non-civic manner, will be immediately dismissed,” — Naftali Bennett, former Prime Minister
- “Police officers who are not members of the senior command and have been invited to the event are not permitted to attend,” — Danny Levy, Police Commissioner (memo)
- “ Democrats chairman Yair Golan wrote: “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.” — Yair Golan, Democrats chairman
- “Naftali has no friends, and also no work relationships — send him a cake from the party.” — Itamar Ben-Gvir, National Security Minister
- “Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz, a former high-ranking police investigator, calls the permission granted to officers to participate in the celebration a “grave incident in the moral and ethical sense.” — Yoav Segalovitz, Yesh Atid MK
What’s Next: Legal and Political Follow-up
The High Court’s injunction remains in effect pending a May 24 deadline, and petitions continue to challenge the death-penalty law. Bennett’s election campaign emphasizes a pledge to purge politicized officials from the police and prison services. Further scrutiny of Ben-Gvir’s influence over law-enforcement appointments is expected as the legal and political battles progress.
