Israeli parliament backs bill for death penalty for terrorists
Illustrative photo: two more rounds of voting are required for the bill to be fully passed (Getty Images)
The Knesset has approved in its first reading a government bill introducing the death penalty for terrorists who kill Israelis. Thirty-nine lawmakers voted in favor, according to The Times of Israel.
The Knesset did not support the bill unanimously; 16 lawmakers voted against it. Two alternative drafts, submitted by MPs from Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu, were also approved, with votes of 36–15 and 37–14, respectively.
The bill stipulates a mandatory death sentence in cases where an Israeli citizen is murdered for nationalist reasons. It also allows military courts in the West Bank to hand down such sentences by a simple majority instead of a unanimous decision, and removes the option for military commanders to commute the punishment.
The document refers to crimes committed "racism" or "with the aim of harming the State of Israel and the revival of the Jewish people in its land." Critics argue that this could lead to selective enforcement, primarily targeting Arabs rather than Jewish extremists.
“Today, we took a historic step towards true justice and strengthening deterrence against terrorism," said the bill’s initiator, Limor Son Har-Melech, after the vote.
Following the vote, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir handed out baklava in the Knesset chamber. Within minutes, parliamentary staff joined in eating the sweets. The gesture carried symbolic meaning; baklava is often distributed in Palestinian streets to celebrate attacks on Israelis. Ben-Gvir said his "mirror" gesture was meant as a symbolic response: "Those who murdered, raped, and kidnapped our sons and daughters do not deserve to see the light of day, and their sentence should be death."
The opposition largely boycotted the vote. Lawmakers from Blue and White and most of Yesh Atid did not participate. Within the coalition, the Degel HaTorah faction from United Torah Judaism opposed the bill, while most of Shas's members skipped the late-night session.
Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, whose party backed the bill, said that every terrorist should die, either on the battlefield or in court.
The bill will now be sent to the committee for preparation before the second and third readings, after which it could become law. If passed, Israel would, for the first time, establish a legal mechanism for applying the death penalty to convicted terrorists.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to face tensions with militant groups. Alongside the war in Gaza against Hamas, the Israeli military is engaged in ongoing clashes with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. Since late 2023, Hezbollah has regularly shelled Israel’s northern regions, while the IDF has retaliated with strikes on targets in Lebanon.
Although the Gaza conflict has entered a tentative phase of de-escalation, with negotiations over prisoner exchanges ongoing, Israel’s focus is increasingly shifting toward Hezbollah. Washington, which played a mediating role in the Gaza war, has pledged its support for Israel’s efforts to disarm the group in Lebanon.
