NAZARETH, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Israeli Knesset has given final approval to a law permitting the execution of Palestinian prisoners, passing it in its second and third readings on Monday evening.
The legislation was approved by 62 members, with 48 voting against and one abstaining.
The bill was introduced by Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech and strongly backed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has previously boasted about harsh measures against Palestinian detainees.
Earlier last week, the Knesset’s National Security Committee approved the proposal, which mandates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out attacks resulting in the death of Israelis. The bill was then fast-tracked despite over 2,000 objections raised during deliberations.
Under the new law, the death penalty will be imposed on anyone who “intentionally causes the death of a person as part of an act classified as terrorism.” It also removes the possibility of pardon, effectively making such sentences irreversible.
The law stipulates a mandatory death sentence without the need for unanimous judicial agreement, with executions to be carried out by hanging by the Israeli Prison Service within a maximum of 90 days from sentencing.
It introduces a distinction between implementation inside Israel and in the occupied West Bank. In the West Bank, the death penalty will be the default punishment, while military courts may impose life imprisonment only in “exceptional circumstances,” subject to policies set by the minister of security.
The prime minister is granted limited authority to request a delay in execution under special circumstances for a total period not exceeding 180 days.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, around 9,500 Palestinians and Arabs are currently held in Israeli prisons. The bodies of 97 deceased prisoners are also being withheld, many of whom died due to torture or medical neglect, including 86 since the start of the war on Gaza. Since 1967, the total number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in custody has reached 326.
The use of the death penalty is extremely rare in Israel’s legal history, having been carried out only once, in 1962, against Nazi official Adolf Eichmann.
Several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy, have urged Israel to abandon the law, expressing concern over its implications and reiterating that capital punishment is an “inhumane and degrading” form of punishment that does not serve as an effective deterrent.
Amnesty International has also warned that the law could entrench a system of apartheid and may place Israel in direct conflict with the global movement to abolish the death penalty, potentially constituting a war crime if implemented.
