US EditionIsrael’s Ben-Gvir Details Plans for Palestinian ‘Death Row’
The law passed 62-48 and requires executions within 90 days, while rights groups say it creates a two-tiered system for Palestinians.
- On March 30, 2026, Israel's Knesset passed the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law by a 62-to-48 vote, mandating death by hanging for offenses classified as "terrorism related" and applying exclusively to Palestinians.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his far-right Otzma Yehudit party spearheaded years-long efforts to pass stricter punishments for offenses against Israel, with Ben-Gvir outlining plans to establish a death row for Palestinian prisoners.
- The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court characterizing the law as "discriminatory by design," noting the 90-day execution timeline restricts appeals while military courts maintain about 96% conviction rates.
- On April 2, eight Muslim countries issued a joint statement condemning practices that "entrench a system of apartheid," while the European Union urged Israel to "abandon" the then-pending legislation citing democratic principles.
- While the United States refrained from condemning the measure, a State Department spokesperson stated the U.S. "respect Israel's sovereign right to determine its own laws and penalties," emphasizing trust in proceedings' fairness.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Israel Passes Mandatory Death Penalty for Palestinians Convicted of Terrorism, Flouting International Law and Drawing Widespread Condemnation
On March 30, 2026, lawmakers in Israel passed the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law by a vote of 62 to 48, making Israel one of few democracies to expand capital punishment in recent years. The law mandates death by hanging for offenses classified as “terrorism related” — and as written, applies exclusively to Palestinians. The new law also requires that sentences must be carried out within 90 days of a final ruling. UN ex…
That the death penalty law will be used to kill is shocking enough. What makes the law even more shocking is that Israeli authorities openly celebrate its racist character.
The adoption of a law introducing a death penalty applicable, de facto, to the Palestinians alone sign the fascist drift of the Netanyahu government, denounce the lawyers Cécile Ostier and Cédric Uzan-Sarano. Faced with this betrayal of the Jewish humanist tradition, they call on all those who share it outside Israel to give voice.
By having the Knesset pass a law on the death penalty against the Palestinians alone, the Netanyahu government, in the wheel of the far right, has committed five major mistakes: moral, legal, political, democratic and strategic.
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