Shafaq News- Middle East
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday approved a controversial bill allowing the execution of Palestinian and Arab prisoners, renewing debate over the use of capital punishment.
The legislation, which passed by 62 votes to 47, mandates death by hanging as the default penalty for West Bank residents convicted of “deadly terrorist acts” by military courts. Judges retain the discretion to impose life imprisonment under vaguely defined “special circumstances,” but the death sentence would otherwise be mandatory.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who championed the proposal, has long pushed for measures enabling Israeli courts to issue death sentences, particularly targeting the “elite prisoners” —a term used for members of Hamas detained following the October 7, 2023 attack. Ahead of the vote, he portrayed the legislation as a turning point, describing it as “historical justice” and asserting that “the time for reckoning has come.”
In parliament, the right-wing opposition party Yisrael Beytenu backed the law. Party chair Avigdor Liberman had indicated his faction would only support the measure if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas leader Aryeh Deri appeared in person to endorse it, which they did in the final moments of the debate.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party and United Torah Judaism’s Degel HaTorah faction also supported the bill, despite earlier reports suggesting Degel HaTorah might oppose it after its spiritual leader, Rabbi Dov Lando, raised concerns that the legislation could endanger Diaspora Jewry. Meanwhile, UTJ’s Agudat Yisrael faction rejected the measure.
On Sunday, Germany, France, Italy, and Britain urged Israeli lawmakers to withdraw the bill, warning it could sharply increase the likelihood of executions being carried out in Israel. A statement from Germany’s Foreign Ministry expressed “deep concern” over what it described as the law’s discriminatory nature, cautioning that its adoption could undermine Israel’s commitments to democratic principles.