Sri Lankan Defeats Israel National Security Minister with Legal Bombshell
How a humble caretaker from Sri Lanka took on one of Israel's most powerful politicians—and won
JERUSALEM — In a David-and-Goliath legal battle that has sent shockwaves through Israel's political establishment, a Sri Lankan migrant worker has emerged victorious against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the country's most controversial and powerful figures.
The case, which concluded last month with a final judgment against the minister, reads less like a labor dispute and more like a political thriller—complete with threats, accusations of abandonment, a death in the family, and a stunning reversal of fortune that left the minister paying his former employee instead of collecting damages.
THE CARETAKER AND THE KINGMAKER
For eight years, Vijita Sunimal was more than just a hired hand in the Ben-Gvir household. He lived with the family in Kiryat Arba, a West Bank settlement, caring for the minister's aging parents with what he describes as "devotion." He taught a young Itamar Ben-Gvir how to tie his tie before his first court appearance. The minister's daughter called him "father."
"I took care of them with devotion, and especially his father who was a golden person. We were like a family," Sunimal told Haaretz in an exclusive interview.
But beneath this veneer of familial warmth lurked a relationship that would eventually explode into a bitter legal war.
THE VACATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
The trouble began when Sunimal requested a vacation to return to Sri Lanka. According to court documents, Ben-Gvir approved the trip—"even if in hindsight and due to a lack of choice," as the labor court would later determine.
While Sunimal was in his home country, Ben-Gvir's father passed away.
What happened next would set the stage for one of the most unusual legal confrontations in recent Israeli history.
Ben-Gvir and his brother Shai didn't just grieve—they launched a legal counteroffensive. In a stunning move, they sued Sunimal for 100,000 shekels (approximately $27,000), accusing him of "abandoning" their father. In their response letter to the lawsuit, they wrote that "we begged him dozens of times not to leave, not to abandon our father."
The minister claimed there was a "direct link" between Sunimal's vacation and his father's death.
THE THREATENED SIGNATURE
Sunimal, who had returned to Israel after his vacation, found himself in an impossible position. According to his testimony, the Ben-Gvir brothers forced him to sign a resignation letter in English—a language he barely understood—accepting a meager 5,000 shekels in exchange for releasing them from all obligations.
"I was afraid of him," Sunimal said of the minister, who has built his political career on a hardline, confrontational style.
The court would later rule that while the threats weren't proven, the waiver document itself was "not valid" and had "no validity." Under Israeli labor law, Sunimal was considered "fired" rather than having resigned.
THE LEGAL BOMBSHELL
In 2020, the Jerusalem Labor Court delivered a verdict that must have landed like a thunderbolt in the Ben-Gvir camp. Far from being liable for damages, Sunimal was awarded approximately 85,000 shekels in unpaid wages and benefits.
The Ben-Gvir brothers appealed—and lost again. The National Labor Court increased the compensation to 100,000 shekels.
The final judgment last month required the brothers to transfer an additional 40,000 shekels to their former caretaker.
THE POLITICAL FALLOUT
The case has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Ben-Gvir, who serves as Israel's National Security Minister with oversight of the country's police force. Critics have noted the irony of a man responsible for law enforcement being found to have violated labor laws.
"Nothing remains of the letter of demand in which a nursing worker from Sri Lanka was required to compensate attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir in the amount of NIS 100,000 for the death of his father," said Sunimal's lawyer, Guy Brand. "The labor court ruled that he and his brother must pay the employee a similar amount for labor rights that were denied to him."
Brand added that the Ben-Gvir brothers only began paying after enforcement proceedings were initiated.
A TALE OF TWO WORLDS
The case has resonated far beyond the legal community, becoming a symbol of the power dynamics between Israel's political elite and migrant workers who form the backbone of the country's caregiving system.
Sunimal's story—from living with the family, being called "father" by the minister's daughter, to being forced to sign away his rights for a fraction of what he was owed—highlights the precarious existence of foreign workers in Israel.
"Itamar's parents were amazing... but he was a bad person to me," Sunimal said.
THE MINISTER'S SILENCE
Ben-Gvir and his brother have not responded to multiple requests for comment about the case. But the judgment stands—a rare victory for a powerless migrant worker against one of Israel's most powerful political figures.
For now, Sunimal has received his compensation. But for a man who once taught a future minister how to tie a tie, the case was never just about the money.
It was about justice.