Ben-Gvir Leads Far-Right Push for Death Penalty Against Palestinian Prisoners

The Israeli Knesset Security Committee has approved a controversial bill proposed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis.

The bill is scheduled to be presented to the Knesset’s general assembly next Wednesday for a first reading — a move observers have described as one of the most extreme measures advanced by Israel’s right-wing government in years against the Palestinian prisoners’ movement.

The proposed legislation stipulates that a death sentence can be imposed by a majority of judges, with no possibility of commutation or substitution once issued. The Security Committee debated the bill in preparation for the upcoming vote, with part of the next session expected to be held behind closed doors. During that session, Israeli security officials will reportedly submit technical and legal feedback on the bill’s provisions.

A parliamentary committee had already endorsed a similar version of the bill in late September. That version stipulates the death penalty for anyone causing the death of an Israeli “out of hostility or hatred toward Israel,” according to the text of the proposal.

If passed, the bill could become law within months, pending support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

The move has sparked outrage among Palestinians, with organizations advocating for prisoners’ rights denouncing the proposal as “a new form of fascism” that reflects what they described as the Israeli government’s policy of exploiting the suffering and blood of prisoners for political gain.

Rights groups also warned that passing such a law could ignite a new wave of deadly escalation and push the region toward another cycle of violence and instability.