‘Act of savagery’: Israel Knesset panel advances bill to execute Palestinian prisoners

An Israeli parliamentary committee has advanced a bill to allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners.

Under the bill, judges would be able to impose the death penalty on Palestinians who kill Israelis based on so-called “nationalistic” motives.

The law would not apply to Israelis who kill Palestinians under similar circumstances.

The bill - introduced by Limor Son Har-Melech, a lawmaker from Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party - was approved on Sunday by the Knesset’s National Security Committee, with four lawmakers voting in favour and one against.

The vote paves the way for the bill to be brought to the first of three votes in the parliament, or Knesset, before it can become law.

Palestinian prisoners' rights groups - the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club - described the bill as an “unprecedented act of savagery”.

The bill has also faced criticism within Israel, but for different reasons, including its potential legal invalidity and the possible impact on captives held in Gaza.

Gal Hirsch, the government’s coordinator for captive affairs, criticised the bill and warned that it could endanger Israelis currently held in Gaza by Hamas.

Hirsch stated that discussions around the bill “do not help us” and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt its progress in parliament until he can present his own assessment to the cabinet.

Captive families' condemn bill

The families of captives also condemned the bill.

“Released hostages have told us clearly that every media stunt about the death penalty for terrorists leads to harsher conditions and violence against the hostages,” said Lishay Miran Lavi, wife of captive Omri Miran, on X.

“Netanyahu knows this. Gal Hirsch knows this. Ben Gvir knows this. But Ben Gvir wanted to be on TV today. In a proper country, the prime minister would have fired Ben Gvir this morning.”

Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister - who has long advocated for the death penalty for Palestinians and harsher prison conditions - said he refused to delay the bill’s discussion, even after being approached by “people in the Prime Minister’s Office”.

'The approval of this bill is no longer surprising in light of the unprecedented level of savagery practised by the occupation'

- Palestinian prisoner rights groups

He claimed that the death penalty “brings deterrence” and sends a message to Hamas that “there is a price tag for what they did”.

As the minister overseeing prison affairs, Ben Gvir has placed Palestinian detainees under unprecedentedly harsh conditions, including torture, starvation, and sexual assault.

At least 76 identified Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody over the past two years, though the actual number is feared to be significantly higher.

Palestinian prisoners' rights groups said in their statement on Sunday that the latest bill aims to legalise the ongoing killing of prisoners.

“The approval of this bill is no longer surprising in light of the unprecedented level of savagery practised by the occupation system,” the groups said in a joint statement.

“The occupation has not been content with killing dozens of prisoners and detainees since the war of extermination began. Today, it seeks to entrench the crime of execution by enacting a specific law for it.

“This law is an addition to a repressive legislative system that, for decades, has targeted all aspects of Palestinian life. It is another step to entrench the crime and attempt to legitimise it.”