The law was passed with 62 votes in favor, 48 against, and one abstention. It makes death by hanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of nationalistic killings, with executions to be carried out within 90 days of sentencing. The law applies only to Palestinians, not Jewish Israelis, due to a provision requiring intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel, according to reports.
It does not apply retroactively to prisoners already held, according to reports. Israel has not executed anyone since Adolf Eichmann in 1962, according to reports. The law was championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who voted in favor.
With this death penalty bill, the Israeli government is adding yet another weapon to its decades-long campaign to eliminate Palestinians. It is apartheid imposed by a noose.
Ben-Gvir said on social media: "We made history!!! We promised. " The law was originally proposed in January 2023, before the October 7 Hamas attack, according to reports.
International condemnation has been swift. The European Union opposes capital punishment in all cases, with spokesperson Anouar El Anouni stating that the death penalty is a violation of the right to life and has no proven deterrent effect. The UK, Germany, France, and Italy issued a joint statement warning that the law risks undermining democratic principles and expressing concern about its discriminatory character.
If adopted, this law will cement a system built on dehumanising policies, unchecked hate speech and institutionalised violence – the same system that is driving Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip and enforcing apartheid over all Palestinians.
According to Daily Mirror - Main, Amnesty International UK's Crisis Response Manager Kristyan Benedict described the law as "apartheid imposed by a noose" and part of a campaign to eliminate Palestinians. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said the law raises serious concerns regarding discrimination and violations of due process. Human rights groups have petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to strike down the law, according to reports.
The Israeli military has criticized the law as potentially violating international law, according to reports. The Council of Europe may suspend Israel's observer status over the law, according to multiple reports. The US said it respects Israel's right to make its own laws, according to reports.
This is not happening in a vacuum. Israeli authorities are already torturing and killing Palestinian prisoners at scale.
Protests have occurred in Arab cities including Gaza City, Ramallah, Damascus, and Aleppo, according to reports. According to Dagens Nyheter, Anna Johansson of Amnesty International Sweden described the law as a cruel departure from basic human rights and called for maximum pressure on Israel. The same outlet reported that Ahmed Awaida, uncle of detained Palestinians, described the news as a shock that worsened his family's grief.
The law allows for a possible postponement of up to 180 days, according to reports. It remains unclear whether Israel's Supreme Court will strike down the law as unconstitutional, and how many Palestinian prisoners could potentially be affected.
The law is a cruel and deliberate departure from basic principles of human rights. Israel has now cemented that it is a country where some have rights while others do not. An alleged democratic country with two parallel legal systems dependent on ethnicity.
Now Sweden, the EU, all world leaders must put maximum pressure on Israel. All bilateral relations need to be reviewed, including those linked to the EU's free trade agreement. We need clear public statements – just expressing regret is not enough.
A shock. The whole house was filled with crying. Their mother, Rami's wife and the children Mohammad, Waad and Munir, all cried. This news has worsened our grief.
I urge the world and human rights organizations to stand up for the prisoners, who suffer without enough medicine, food, or contact with their families.