Itamar Ben-Gvir dresses up as Israeli cop for Purim celebrations

The National Security Minister was barred from serving in the security forces for his 'extremist views'.

2 min read

08 March, 2023

The radical settler minister has celebrated Purim in Hebron for years [Getty]

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated Purim this year by donning a police uniform and dancing with fellow settlers through the streets of occupied Hebron on Tuesday.

Ben-Gvir’s costume featured a combination of different security forces that serve to oppress Palestinians across Israel and the West Bank.

Escorted by a heavy security detail, the cabinet minister sang and danced with follow settlers in a city where 29 Palestinians were gunned down by an Israeli extremist during Purim three decades earlier.

The Israeli police cosplay stunt coincided with 25 high-ranking police officers telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Ben Gvir's policies could lead to a third intifada in the occupied territories, Channel 12 reported yesterday.

Ben-Gvir had fought to have key police positions put under his command since he was appointed National Security Minister in December.

Ben-Gvir was barred from obligatory military service due to his extremist views but now sits at the top of Israel’s internal security framework in this position.

The radical settler minister, who was convicted of racist incitement against Palestinians in 2007, has also advocated for the assassination of Palestinians who throw rocks at soldiers and stripping Palestinians of Israeli citizenship for perceived disloyalty to Israel.

Ben-Gvir dressed as cop for Purim pic.twitter.com/IGRJ3wLaRO
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) March 7, 2023

Purim is a Jewish celebration celebrating the defeat of Haman, a Persian royal advisor concocting a plan to exterminate the Jewish people 2,500 years ago.

The period has also seen Palestinians subject to taunts by those celebrating the festival and even targeted by Israeli settlers and troops.

On Tuesday evening, as Purim drew to a close, Israeli troops stormed the Jenin refugee camp killing six Palestinians and injuring over a dozen others in a surprise raid.

During celebrations in 1994, radical settler Baruch Goldstein burst into Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque and opened fire, killing 29 unarmed Palestinians as they prayed.

Baruch Goldstein’s portrait - until recently - featured prominently in the home of an Israeli politician who has recently risen to prominence.

That politician is Itamar Ben-Gvir.