Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a bill in its first reading introducing the death penalty for “terrorists” driven by “racist” motives and the intent to harm the Jewish state.
The draft legislation, spearheaded by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, applies to “terrorists” who kill Israelis and harm “the State of Israel and the revival of the Jewish people in its land.”
“Its purpose is to cut off terrorism at its root and create a heavy deterrent,” the security committee said in a statement that also explains the bill.
The legislation allows judges serving on military courts in the West Bank to hand out death sentences with a simple majority rather than a unanimous decision. The military courts in the area have authority only over Palestinians, while Jewish settlers are subject to civilian judiciary. It also strips regional military commanders of powers to commute such sentences.
Ben Gvir’s bill received 39 votes in favor and 16 against in the 120-seat body, with the vote largely boycotted by the opposition. It will now be referred to a committee for preparation, before having to pass two more stages to become a law.
Critics of the move have warned that its adoption would subject Israel to additional international pressure and prompt more violence rather than deter it. Some have described the legislation as highly discriminatory, arguing that it would apply only to Palestinian and not Jewish terrorists. Critics also point out that the bill in its current form also appears to apply only to crimes committed against Israel’s Jewish nationals and disregard its Arab citizens.
The proposed law has already been condemned by Hamas, which said it “embodies the ugly fascist face of the rogue Zionist occupation and represents a blatant violation of international law.” The Foreign Ministry of the Palestinian Authority gave a similar assessment, calling it a “new form of escalating Israeli extremism and criminality against the Palestinian people.”
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