A legislative proposal moving through Israel’s parliament would establish a mandatory death penalty specifically for Palestinians convicted of killing Jewish individuals, according to details revealed during a heated Knesset committee session. The bill, sponsored by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right Jewish Power party, would utilize lethal injection and eliminate all standard judicial review processes for those sentenced under its provisions.
Controversial legal provisions
The proposed legislation applies to anyone involved in planning or carrying out attacks against Jews motivated by ethnicity and designates execution as the sole permissible punishment. Under the bill’s terms, sentences would be determined by simple majority vote without any possibility of appeal, plea bargaining, or presidential pardon. The Israel Prison Service would be required to carry out executions within 90 days of sentencing using lethal injection, significantly accelerating the normal judicial process.
Heated parliamentary exchange
The National Security Committee session witnessed a sharp confrontation between Ben-Gvir and opposition lawmaker Gilad Kariv, who described the legislation as “racist because it applies only when a Jewish victim is killed.” Kariv accused Ben-Gvir of governing by revenge and referenced reports that the minister displays a photograph of Baruch Goldstein, the perpetrator of the 1994 Hebron massacre, in his home. The exchange resulted in Kariv’s expulsion from the committee session.
Institutional and medical opposition
The Israeli Medical Association has formally notified the committee that no doctors would participate in carrying out death sentences, creating a significant implementation barrier should the bill become law. Despite this, Ben-Gvir claimed medical professionals support the punishment. The legislation passed its first reading in November with 39 of 120 Knesset members voting in favor, advancing amid ongoing conflict in Gaza that has resulted in extensive Palestinian casualties.