Israel’s Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Palestinian Terror Convicts in the West BankIn a highly charged vote on Monday,
Israel’s Knesset passed a controversial new law that will make the death penalty possible for Palestinians in the West Bank who kill Israelis for “nationalistic” or terrorist motives.
The bill, long pushed by far-right politicians, was approved by a vote of 62 to 48. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — one of its strongest supporters — even brought a bottle of champagne into parliament toIsrael has had the death penalty on the books for decades but has almost never used it.
Only two people have ever been executed since the country’s founding: one Israeli soldier in 1948 for treason, and Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962.
No executions have taken place in over 60 years.This new law marks a significant shift — especially because it singles out one group (Palestinians in the West Bank) while excluding others.