The Israeli Knesset plenum approved the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners in its second and third readings on Monday evening, with the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The bill passed with 62 votes in favor and 48 against.
The bill was initiated by Knesset member Limor Son-Harmelach and spearheaded by the extremist Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has repeatedly boasted about torturing, starving, and committing other crimes against Palestinian prisoners.
The Knesset’s National Security Committee approved the bill last Tuesday, which stipulates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out attacks that killed Israelis, before its final approval by the plenum on Monday evening.
The committee overlooked more than 2,000 reservations submitted to the bill during its deliberations, before approving it in preparation for the second and third readings, according to a statement issued by the Knesset, in a move that reflects the acceleration of the legislative process despite the controversy surrounding it.
The law stipulates the death penalty for anyone who “intentionally causes the death of a person in an act classified as terrorism.”
No pardon possible
The bill also states that no pardon is possible in such cases, meaning the sentence is fixed and cannot be commuted or altered by any subsequent political or legal decision.
According to its text, the bill includes a mandatory sentence without requiring a unanimous judicial decision, and the execution of the death penalty by hanging by the Israeli Prison Service, to be carried out within a specified period not exceeding 90 days from its issuance.
In its official version, the law states that its objective is “to establish the death penalty for perpetrators of killings classified as terrorist acts, within the framework of combating terrorism.”
It also specifies that anyone who “intentionally causes the death of a person with the intent to harm a citizen or resident of Israel, or with the motive of denying the existence of the state, shall be punished by death or life imprisonment only.”
This comes as the EU has warned Israel of imposing sanctions if it approves the death penalty law for prisoners, according to an Israeli press report on Monday.
The report indicated that the potential sanctions being considered by Europe include: canceling the partnership agreement with Israel, or suspending parts of it, such as trade agreements, technological, economic and scientific cooperation, and suspending political dialogue.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
