The Israeli parliament passed a highly controversial law on Monday making death by hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly terrorist acts. The 62-48 vote arrives amid the ongoing war in Gaza and surging daily violence across the occupied West Bank. It marks a massive escalation in the state’s judicial response to militant attacks.
Championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the legislation mandates execution within 90 days of sentencing. Life imprisonment is now only permitted under undefined “special circumstances.” The move effectively rewrites decades of military court precedent.
Legal experts immediately flagged the bill as inherently discriminatory. The text targets acts intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel.” Critics argue this definition strictly applies to Palestinians and Arab minorities. Jewish Israelis who commit similar crimes remain shielded from capital punishment, according to a detailed report covering the legislative push.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the law as racist. They called it a severe breach of international humanitarian law. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel did not wait to respond. The group filed an immediate appeal against the legislation with Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday.
The law caps a years-long campaign by the nationalist-religious coalition. Proponents insist the threat of execution will deter deadly attacks. They also claim it will prevent militants from taking hostages to force lopsided prisoner swap deals.
The Broader Impact
This vote marks a massive paradigm shift for the Israeli judicial system. Israel technically retains the death penalty for genocide and wartime espionage, but the state practically abolished capital punishment decades ago. The country has only executed two convicts in its entire 78-year history. The last execution occurred in 1962 when the state hanged Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
The diplomatic fallout was swift. The European Union formally condemned the legislation shortly after the vote passed. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy also stepped in. The four nations issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over the bill’s de facto discriminatory application. The reaction signals intense international friction over Israel’s wartime domestic policies.