30.03.2026 21:51
The Israeli Parliament approved a controversial bill that proposes the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners.
A scandalous decision was made in the Israeli Parliament (Knesset). A bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners was approved.
DEATH PENALTY APPROVED WITH 62 VOTES
The bill, which sparked reactions from the international community, was approved in the Knesset General Assembly with 62 votes in favor and 48 against. It was noted that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also voted in favor of the bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinians.
During the final voting, a verbal exchange occurred between Democratic Party Member of Parliament Gilad Kariv and far-right MPs supporting the bill. The result of the vote in the Israeli Parliament was announced by far-right Jewish Power Party MP Limor Son Har-Melech, who prepared the bill.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Minister of National Security and one of the proponents of the law, who follows a more aggressive policy against Palestinians and advocates for increased violence and oppression, threatened in his speech before the voting, stating, "the time for judgment has come."
Additionally, Ben-Gvir's attempt to celebrate the approval of the bill with champagne in the Parliament was prevented by security personnel.
LAW PROPOSING DEATH PENALTY FOR PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
According to the approved law, the execution of the sentence will be carried out by guards assigned by the Israeli Prison Service through hanging. The executing guard will be granted identity confidentiality and criminal immunity.
Individuals sentenced to death will be placed in a separate detention center, and no one except authorized persons will be allowed to visit; lawyer meetings will only be conducted via video.
The bill states that it will be possible to impose the death penalty without the need for a request from the prosecution, and it specifies that there will be no requirement for unanimity for the death penalty, and the decision will be made by simple majority.
It was reported that military courts in the West Bank, under Israeli occupation, could also impose the death penalty, and the bill includes the right of the Minister of Defense to provide opinions to the judicial panel regarding this penalty. It was noted that if the death penalty is imposed on Palestinian prisoners under Israeli occupation, the avenues for pardon and appeal will be closed.
For prisoners tried in Israel, the death penalty could be commuted to life imprisonment.
The approved law cited "the intention to deny the existence of Israel by killing an Israeli or someone living here" as a justification for imposing the death penalty.