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Despite growing legal concerns, the bill has moved forward, prompting accusations from opponents that the government is pushing forward with a measure with serious moral and legal implications...
Israel's parliament has brought to a final vote a controversial bill to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of terrorism, after the Knesset's national security committee approved the measure on Tuesday.
The legislation, initiated by the far-right Otzma Yehudi party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has drawn sharp criticism from opponents who warn it would mark a significant escalation in Israel's criminal policy. Otzma Yehudi members have held up noose-shaped pins in support of the bill.
Under the proposals, death row inmates would be held in a separate facility with no visitors except from authorized personnel, with legal consultations conducted only via video link. Executions would be carried out within 90 days of sentencing.
The measure allows courts to impose the death penalty without a request from prosecutors and without requiring unanimity, allowing instead a simple majority decision. Military courts in the occupied West Bank will also have the right to impose death sentences, with the defense minister able to submit an opinion.
For Palestinians under occupation, the bill would close avenues for appeal or pardon, while prisoners tried inside Israel could see their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
The committee made several changes to the bill, which passed the first vote, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported, adding that the executions would be carried out by hanging.
Ben-Gvir, among the bill's most ardent supporters, has constantly worn a noose-shaped pin on his collar, a symbol of the method by which Palestinians could be executed under the proposed law.
He described hanging as "one of the options" for carrying out the death penalty, adding that alternatives could include the electric chair or "euthanasia." He also claimed to have received support from doctors who were willing to participate in executions, saying they had told him, "Just tell us when."
Military officials and ministries have repeatedly warned that the proposed law could violate international law and expose Israeli commanders to arrest warrants abroad. The justice and foreign ministries have reiterated these concerns in recent months as the bill continued to advance through committee discussions.
Critics, including center-left lawmaker Gilad Kariv, have also raised objections to provisions requiring executions within 90 days without the possibility of pardon, warning that this could put the Israeli military at legal risk and open the door to proceedings in foreign courts.
Despite growing legal concerns, the bill has moved forward, prompting accusations from opponents that the government is pushing forward a measure with serious moral and legal implications.
UN experts last month urged Israel to withdraw the bill, saying it would "violate the right to life and discriminate against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory."
“By removing judicial and prosecutorial discretion, they prevent a court from considering individual circumstances, including mitigating factors, and imposing a proportionate sentence that fits the crime. Hanging in prison constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment under international law,” the experts said.
The European Union's diplomatic service also condemned the draft law, saying: The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and cannot be carried out without violating the absolute right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment.
The death penalty in Israel is currently reserved for the most exceptional cases and has only been used twice against convicted prisoners. The last time was to hang notorious Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, a key architect of the Holocaust, in 1962.
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