Gonen Ben Itzhak

Gonen Ben Itzhak was born in 1971

Ben Itzhak was born in 1971 and grew up in Ness Ziona. His father is Brigadier General Uzi Ben Itzhak and his mother, Ronit, is a music teacher. In 1985 the family moved to the United States because of his father's military service.

He served in the Israeli Navy. He then earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at Ben-Gurion University and was active in the Israeli Scouts. In 2005 he studied law and business at IDC Herzliya, and later completed a master's degree in law with distinction at Tel Aviv University.

In 1996 he joined the Shin Bet as an intelligence officer in the Ramallah area, recruiting and handling agents. In 2002 he became deputy coordinator of the Ramallah district, commanded the area in Operation Defensive Shield and was involved in the arrest of Marwan Barghouti. After a disciplinary trial over financial offenses, he was reprimanded and dismissed from the Shin Bet.

He is a partner in a commercial law firm and advised the film Bethlehem and the first season of Fauda. He joined protests against the gas plan in 2015 and later helped found Crime Minister, representing arrested protesters. After a 2020 water cannon protest he was convicted of obstructing a police officer and acquitted of illegal assembly, and in March 2024 the judge canceled the conviction and ordered 500 hours of community service.

He is married and has 4 children.