On March 30, the Israeli Knesset passed a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks, a move harshly criticized by European nations and Israeli human rights groups.
The law is incredibly brutal: those sentenced to death will be housed in separate facilities, without visitors — except for authorized personnel — and legal consultations will only be permitted via video call. Executions, which could be by hanging, electric chair, or even “euthanasia” would be carried out within 90 days of sentencing. No clemency or appeal would be granted to Palestinians under occupation, effectively closing any legal loopholes.
The legislation establishes the death penalty as the default punishment for Palestinians in the West Bank, territory illegally occupied by Israel, who are found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed acts of terrorism by a military court.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leading proponent of the bill, wore a noose-shaped pin in the Knesset, symbolizing the executions contemplated in the proposal. He described hanging as “one of the options,” along with the electric chair or “euthanasia,” and claimed that some doctors had offered to cooperate. The Israeli Medical Association, however, has formally banned member doctors from participating in such lethal injections. Lawmakers from the far-right party, Otzma Yehudit, also wore noose-shaped pins to show their enthusiasm for the measure.
This new legislation will allow courts to impose the death penalty without a request from the prosecution and without requiring unanimity; a simple majority decision will suffice. Military courts in the occupied West Bank will also be empowered to hand down death sentences, with the Minister of Defense able to issue a ruling.
The legislation, promoted by Otzma Yehudit, led by Ben-Gvir, has drawn sharp criticism from its opponents, who warn that it would represent a significant escalation in Israel’s criminal policy.
When the measure passed, the chamber erupted in cheers. Ben-Gvir raised a bottle in celebration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had come to the chamber to vote in favor in person, was also present for the celebrations.
The United Nations, the European Union, and Israeli human rights organizations such as B’Tselem condemned the legislation, which they consider cruel, inhumane, and openly discriminatory.
For Palestinians living under occupation, the bill closes avenues for appeal or pardon, while prisoners tried within Israel could see their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
Settler Impunity and Repression in the West Bank
While the passage of this bill will impose harsh penalties on Palestinians resisting occupation, particularly those in the West Bank, Israeli settlers continue to kill and commit acts of violence against Palestinians with impunity. Since October 2023, a sustained wave of attacks, killings, and persecution against the Palestinian population, including the burning of crops, homes, and vehicles, has left more than 1,000 dead and 7,000 wounded. These settlers act with the full support and protection of the Israeli army, which regularly helps cover up their atrocities.
This violence is part of a strategy to displace the Palestinian population and subsequently seize their lands. Repression is commonplace: settlers and the army deploy systematic and almost daily violence, thus consolidating the colonial advance into Palestinian territories. To mention just one example this month, Israeli settlers and police have killed 10 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, including two brothers aged five and seven and their parents, who were shot in the head as the family returned from a shopping trip during Ramadan.
The situation in Israel and the territories it occupies is that of a state that is deepening its support for legalized repression, exemplary punishment, and impunity for colonial violence. The new death penalty law, the brutality unleashed in the West Bank, and the use of prohibited weapons in the region are all expressions of the same project: to crush Palestinian resistance and subject the entire region to the interests of imperialism.
Originally published in Spanish on March 30 in La Izquierda Diario.
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