Posted on 03/25/2026 4:24:53 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie
A final outline of the bill to legislate for the death penalty for terrorists was cleared for advancement ahead of its final votes in the Knesset plenum, which are expected to take place next week.
It was determined that executions for terrorists would be carried out by hanging, implemented by the Israel Prison Service in the approved proposal.
The bill stipulates that a terrorist who intentionally kills a person as part of an act of terrorism will be sentenced to death.
According to the approved proposal, the death sentence would not require a unanimous verdict.
The legislation has undergone several changes in recent weeks to soften some of its technical aspects, following criticism that certain provisions were too harsh or unrealistic.
The bill had originally proposed carrying out executions by lethal injection before switching to hanging. Under the current outline, the execution would be implemented within a defined time frame of up to 90 days from the time of the sentence.
The final second and third readings in the plenum are expected to take place next week, the Otzma Yehudit Party, which initiated the bill, stated after the Knesset National Security Committee approved the outline late Tuesday night.
Ben-Gvir calls it 'historic moment of justice for Israel'
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads the right-wing Otzma Yehudit Party, called it “a historic moment of justice for the State of Israel.”
“Anyone who chooses to murder Jews simply because they are Jews has only one sentence: death. No more revolving door of attacks, imprisonment, and releases. This law restores deterrence, restores justice, and sends a sharp and clear message to our enemies: Jewish blood is not cheap,” he added.
“We will continue to lead an uncompromising policy against terrorism until victory.”
The committee has held marathon discussions on the bill to advance it rapidly, continuing amid the war. Opposition lawmakers have sharply criticized the coalition for advancing controversial legislation unrelated to the war during Operation Roaring Lion.
Ben-Gvir has pushed for the legislation since the start of his tenure as national security minister, repeatedly stating that its passage was a condition of Otzma Yehudit’s coalition agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Otzma Yehudit argues that the death penalty would serve as a deterrent and could reduce motivation for terror attacks and kidnappings aimed at securing prisoner exchanges. Ben-Gvir has also said that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) supports the bill’s outline.
MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats), a leading critic of the bill, has questioned that claim. He has also repeatedly accused Ben-Gvir of advancing the legislation for political reasons ahead of elections.
“The Shin Bet, the National Security Council, the IDF, the Foreign Ministry, the Justice Ministry, and the Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs oppose the current version of the bill, which clashes with international law, endangers relations with European Union countries, and exposes IDF soldiers and officers in Judea and Samaria to sanctions,” Kariv said Tuesday after participating in a committee meeting, where he also clashed with Ben-Gvir.
Representatives from several Jewish human rights organizations have attended multiple committee discussions, voicing opposition to the bill on ethical grounds.
Ben-Gvir vowed that the death penalty bill would pass, speaking during the heated discussion on the legislation on Tuesday afternoon.
*Spicey!*
Good idea! If all the jailed terrorists are dead, there will be no one to trade for hostages.
Boy, was I wrong!
Good for them. Makes so much sense.
Better late than never. We are definitely not executing enough people. That’s been a problem for a long time.
Execution by hanging, properly, is challenging. Properly done, using a “silken hemp” noose, and a height/weight table to know the proper drop for a clean neck break.
Too little of a drop and they strangle, taking far longer to die. Too much of a drop and the head can pop off, like a child’s toy.
A proper noose takes a lot of practice to do right.
There must be a how-to for doing this correctly. Maybe Pierrepont left one in his memoirs.
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