Israel’s parliament has approved a law that establishes death by hanging as the default punishment for Palestinians convicted in military courts of carrying out fatal attacks. This move fulfills a significant request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies. The legislation, passed on Monday, has sparked global criticism, with opponents labeling it as discriminatory and unconstitutional.
Under the new law, the death penalty would be applicable to Israelis found guilty of murder only if the act was done with the aim of “ending Israel’s existence.” Critics argue that this provision ensures that the punishment will disproportionately affect Palestinians, while exempting Jewish Israelis accused of similar crimes. The law also stipulates that executions must be conducted within 90 days of sentencing, with limited grounds for postponement and no provision for clemency.
Courts still have the option to impose life imprisonment, but only under unspecified “special circumstances.” Israel had abolished the death penalty for murder in 1954, with the sole execution after a civilian trial being that of Adolf Eichmann in 1962. Although military courts in the occupied West Bank had the authority to issue death sentences to Palestinian offenders, such a penalty had never been enforced.
The legislation received strong support from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who notably wore lapel pins resembling a noose before the vote. Following the law’s approval, several opposition parties, including Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, the Arab-majority Hadash–Ta’al, and the left-leaning Democrats party, along with numerous human rights organizations, expressed their intent to challenge the law in the High Court of Justice. Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, a member of the Knesset National Security Committee and a vocal critic of the law, denounced it as “immoral” and contradictory to Israel’s core values as a Jewish and democratic state, as well as its international obligations.
