The Israeli parliament has passed a bill approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. The country’s parliament, the Knesset, has also passed a law in this regard on Monday. Under this law, if a Palestinian from the West Bank is found guilty of murder for nationalist reasons, he can be hanged.
Questions are also being raised on this controversial decision of Israel. The international community and human rights groups have strongly condemned the move as discriminatory and inhumane. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself was present in Parliament to vote on the bill. Israel’s right-wing leaders played a big role in getting this bill passed.
The passage of this bill succeeds a years-old effort by the far right to increase sentences for Palestinians convicted of nationalist crimes against Israelis. However, the new law will apply only to future cases and not to old cases.
The law makes the death penalty mandatory for Palestinians in the West Bank who are convicted of nationalist killings. This gives Israeli courts the option to impose the death penalty even if convicted on similar charges. At the same time, the courts will also have the right to impose life imprisonment if they wish, even in the cases of Israeli citizens.
Legal experts say that the language of this law simply means that the death penalty can be given only to Palestinian citizens of Israel, while Jewish citizens are kept out of it. This law will also not apply retrospectively to those prisoners who are currently in Israeli custody. These also include those Hamas fighters who attacked the country on 7 October 2023, after which the Israel-Hamas war broke out in the Gaza Strip.
Celebration in Parliament as soon as the bill is passed
After the final decision came by 62-48 votes in favor of the bill, there was tremendous enthusiasm among the MPs and they stood up from their seats dancing with joy. PM Netanyahu, who remained seated in his seat, did not immediately react or say anything. But the smile on the face was telling everything
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who led the campaign to pass the law, waved a bottle in celebration. Far-right MP Limor Son Har-Melek, one of the original proponents of the bill and whose first husband was killed in an attack by Palestinian fighters in the West Bank, had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.