Israel's parliament approved a controversial bill on Monday mandating the death penalty as the default punishment for Palestinians in the West Bank convicted of carrying out deadly terrorist attacks. The Knesset passed the measure 62-48 with one abstention after nearly 12 hours of debate.

The legislation, spearheaded by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party and supported by Likud MK Nissim Vaturi, targets those convicted by military courts of intentionally killing someone with the aim of denying Israel's existence. Execution by hanging must occur within 90 days of sentencing, though judges can opt for life imprisonment under special circumstances with a simple majority vote rather than unanimous consent. The law eliminates appeal rights and clemency for military court convictions and applies only prospectively, excluding October 7, 2023, Hamas perpetrators who face separate proceedings.

Ben-Gvir celebrated the passage, declaring, "The State of Israel is changing the rules of the game today: whoever murders Jews will not continue to breathe and enjoy conditions in prison." He added, "No more revolving door for terrorists... Whoever chooses terrorism chooses death." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in favor after pushing for amendments that softened the original text, including allowing civil court trials and judicial discretion to avoid constitutional issues.

The bill cleared its first reading in November 2025 and advanced through the National Security Committee last week despite over 2,000 opposition reservations labeling it discriminatory. Changes addressed concerns from the Justice Ministry, IDF, Foreign Ministry, and National Security Council about international law violations and political fallout.

Supporters argue the measure restores deterrence amid ongoing attacks following Hamas's October 7 massacre, which killed 1,200 Israelis, and prevents future prisoner swaps that release convicted killers. Critics, including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, filed a Supreme Court petition claiming the law discriminates against Palestinians and lacks authority over West Bank legislation. UN experts, Amnesty International, and European nations like Britain, France, Germany, and Italy condemned it as a breach of the right to life and potential torture.

Israel has not carried out an execution since 1962, when Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was hanged. The new law marks a rare expansion of capital punishment, primarily for military court cases in occupied territories.