Rabat — Israel’s Knesset passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks on Monday, with observers warning the move could further inflame tensions in an already volatile region.
While the death penalty has long been legal in Israel, only two people have been executed in the country’s 78-year history. Israeli citizens, Jewish or Palestinian Arab, could also face the death penalty for killings, but only in cases intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel.”
Human rights groups call the bill a discriminatory violation of international law with wording that clearly targets Palestinians and ensures Israeli extremists who commit similar crimes will not face the same punishment.
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, celebrated after the law passed 62 votes to 48, calling it “historic” and stating, “soon we will count them one by one.”
The bill makes capital punishment by hanging the default punishment in cases involving Palestinians convicted of killing Israeli citizens. The law is expected to apply primarily within Israel’s military court system, which oversees cases involving Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
A joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom states: “We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles.”
Palestinian officials condemned the measure, calling it as a “dangerous escalation” that institutionalizes unequal and punitive legal practices. In statements following the vote, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued that the law reflects a broader pattern of discriminatory policies targeting Palestinians, particularly those living under military jurisdiction.
In a social media post, the ministry stressed that “Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land” in the occupied territory.
“This law once again reveals the nature of the Israeli colonial system, which seeks to legitimize extrajudicial killing under legislative cover,” the post said.
Rights groups warn that the law risks intensifying a dual legal framework in which Palestinians are subject to harsher penalties than Israeli citizens accused of similar crimes. They also raise concerns about due process, noting longstanding criticisms of the military court system, including limited legal protections and high conviction rates.
The UN Human Rights Office called for Israel to “immediately repeal the discriminatory death penalty law.”
“The United Nations opposes the death penalty under all circumstances. The implementation of this new law would violate international law’s prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment,” the office said on X.
“Additionally, this law further entrenches Israel’s violation of the prohibition of racial segregation and apartheid as it will exclusively apply to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Israel, who are often convicted after unfair trials.”
Amnesty International followed suit as well as pointing out the hypocrisy of the law. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, highlighted that the law comes just weeks after Israel dropped all charges against Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee.
“For years, we have seen an alarming pattern of apparent extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings of Palestinians – with the perpetrators also enjoying near-total impunity,” Guevara-Rosas said in a statement.
There are currently around 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, with the UN Committee against Torture denouncing in 2025 “a de facto State policy of organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment.”