When the Bull Celebrates with the Gallows

In a (grand) celebration on the ruins of the displaced and destroyed village of Beit Daras to the north of Gaza City near Ashdod, (Ayala), the wife of the so-called Minister of Internal Security Itamar Ben Gvir, presented a birthday gift for his fiftieth birthday. The situation seems normal at first; however, the birthday cake that was circulated by Israeli media featured a drawing of a gallows and the words (dreams come true), signaling the enactment of the death penalty law for prisoners, which was voted on and went into effect on March 4th of last year with a majority of 62 votes from the occupying Knesset.

The event took place in a villa in a place called Moshav Amonim, established in 1950 in occupied Palestine. Moshav is a Hebrew word meaning agricultural colony or labor cooperative, while Amonim means "the faithful." The celebration was attended by senior leaders of the occupation's security and police apparatus as well as a number of invited guests. The extremist Ben Gvir, who is of Iraqi descent, highlights his significance on May 6th (a landmark date). He rose to prominence in his fierce war against prisoners and the Palestinian people, which was clearly evident during the ongoing genocide and his stance against any efforts to reach a ceasefire or halt the massacres. He even threatened that his party, "Jewish Authority," with six seats in the Knesset, would withdraw if Netanyahu stopped the war on Gaza, reflecting the racism and hatred he harbors. He sees himself as an extension of the path of the extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane and the school of thought advocating for the expulsion of Arabs from Palestine and the establishment of Israeli settlements in what is referred to as "Judea and Samaria," i.e., the West Bank. He views the issue of female and male prisoners as a personal file that he is tasked with, a matter he takes pride in due to his position, allowing him to work towards implementing decisions aimed at breaking the will of the imprisoned movement and humiliating them, labeling them as "terrorists." A clear witness to what is happening is the world had seen on screens when Ben Gvir invaded sections and cells of prisoners, including the cell of prisoner Marwan Barghouti, who is in solitary confinement, presenting successive meals of horrific assaults and practices that would make humanity's brow sweat, affirming the mentality held by one of the key figures in the occupation government towards female and male prisoners, representing a blatant violation of the most basic human values.

Ben Gvir (fortunately) is a Taurus, and it seems the stars and planets are even saying, according to popular saying, (his name describes his being) or is indeed as such even in behavior and actions in prisons and detention centers. He acts in such a manner and sees them as a playground in which he wages war against the victims who have no power or strength. He carries out his bravado through repression and maltreatment under exceedingly harsh detention conditions. Since October 2023, 90 prisoners have become martyrs due to mistreatment, torture leading to death, and starvation. He recalls in his 50th birthday celebration, insisting on celebrating while invoking the issue of prisoners with the cake, adorned with a noose, a symbol at its center. It is more than a gift and more than a sign indicating intentions; it is complemented with "wishes" for the realization of the "dream" of execution. This is what a fifty-year-old who has spent two-thirds of his life, since he was a child fed on extremism and racism, wishes for. He has even previously been pursued on charges related to terrorism by the Israeli police before becoming a minister and has been arrested on the same charges. Thus, today’s behavior and presence produce the true image circulated by social media activists and require no further confirmation, as it is a self-explanatory image resembling a gallows cake! What madness is this, and what human mind can believe it! Where is the international accountability! Isn’t this direct evidence with sound and image of what is happening to the prisoners and the extent of the ongoing daily violations against them! If there were any sense of humanity in (Ayala), the wife who the world previously saw adorned with guns around her waist during a social visit to Netanyahu’s spouse, Sarah, if she had this feeling, she would have carried flowers for Christmas, as is customary among humans, or perhaps another gift, clothing, or something else, but what festers in the minds of the wife and the Israeli family and society is hatred and the denial of the existence of the other. Their thoughts are much more horrific than to gift roses or present flowers! How can spring bloom in a desert of evil, hatred, and sadism?

Christmas celebrations are occasions where friends, loved ones, and relatives gather to exchange gifts, reminisce about beautiful memories, and meditate, but what does Ben Gvir have to remember other than murder and ugly acts? And how can he envision the future in Israel other than through those hateful eyes - on the ice of black hearts, only evil, tragedies, and calamities can sprout. There is no water in the desert of bloody thirst, and there is no hope born from a raging (bull) that butts everything and dreams only of death, destruction, and gallows – how long will humanity remain silent to maintain its humanity?