Israel Passes Death Penalty Law Aimed at Palestinians, Drawing Global Condemnation
The Knesset approved legislation making execution the default sentence for convicted Palestinian attackers, a move critics call discriminatory and a potential war crime.
Israel’s parliament has passed a new law that imposes the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks. The legislation, approved on March 30 by a vote of 62 to 48, has triggered a wave of condemnation from human rights groups, foreign governments, and Palestinian authorities .
The law applies to two separate legal systems. For Palestinians tried in Israeli military courts in the occupied West Bank, the death sentence becomes the default penalty for killings classified as acts of terrorism. Judges can only order life imprisonment in unspecified exceptional circumstances. The law also mandates execution by hanging within 90 days and removes the possibility of pardon .
A separate provision applies to civilian courts inside Israel. It allows the death penalty for anyone convicted of intentionally killing another person with the aim of negating the existence of the State of Israel. Critics argue this wording is designed to target Palestinians while excluding Jewish Israelis .
Israeli citizens and settlers are not subject to military court jurisdiction. Legal experts note that this creates a two tiered justice system where Palestinians face a far more severe punishment for similar crimes .
The driving force behind the legislation was National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far right politician who wore noose shaped lapel pins before the vote. After the law passed, he celebrated in parliament and posted on social media: “We made history. We promised. We delivered” .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in favor of the law despite facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes .
The response from the international community was swift. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the law is deeply discriminatory and warned that applying it to residents of occupied territory would constitute a war crime . The European Union called the decision a clear step backwards for human rights . Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy expressed deep concern that the law undermines democratic principles .
Palestinian officials condemned the legislation as a war crime and a dangerous shift toward legalizing extrajudicial killings. The Palestinian Authority called on the international community to sanction Israel and activate accountability mechanisms . In the West Bank, Palestinians held a general strike on April 1, with protesters carrying signs reading “Stop the law to execute prisoners, before it’s too late” .
Inside Israel, the Association for Civil Rights has filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the law as unconstitutional and discriminatory. The court will now decide whether to hear the case .
Human rights groups point out that Israeli military courts have a conviction rate exceeding 95 percent for Palestinian defendants, often based on confessions obtained under interrogation methods that critics describe as torture . Amnesty International said the law dismantles fundamental safeguards against arbitrary deprivation of life .
Israel has executed only two people in its history. The most famous case was Nazi official Adolf Eichmann in 1962. The country abolished the death penalty for ordinary murder in 1954 .
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Source: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, BBC News, Associated Press, and reporting from the West Bank by Middle East Eye