Preliminary Approval Granted for Draft Law Allowing Execution of Palestinian Prisoners in Israel
According to the English section of webangah news Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Ma’an, the Israeli Knesset last night gave initial approval to a proposed law on the execution of Palestinian prisoners, introduced by an Israeli parliament member.
The draft law will now proceed to specialized parliamentary committees for further review.
In the first reading, 30 members voted in favor and 19 against the bill.
Following this preliminary approval, Itamar Ben-Gvir, IsraelS Minister of public Security, expressed great enthusiasm by distributing sweets inside the parliament!
under this law, anyone who kills an Israeli “with racist motives” or damages Israel’s reputation would face execution. The death sentence could be issued by a military court with only a majority decision from judges-no unanimity required-and it cannot be commuted.
Yesterday, nine Palestinian human rights organizations issued a joint statement emphasizing that Israeli authorities have long carried out executions through various means even before any formal legislation was passed.
Thes organizations warned that the most perilous aspect of this bill is its retroactive request-an unprecedented move in criminal law-which would take effect instantly after approval.
The statement also highlighted that Israel’s cabinet and specifically Itamar Ben-Gvir aim through this legislation to “provide legal cover for mass executions” targeting potentially hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This includes members of Al-Qassam Brigades arrested during or after the October 7,2023 operations.
