The Israeli Knesset approved on Monday evening a law mandating the death penalty for Palestinian detainees convicted of killings classified by Israel as “acts of terrorism.” The bill passed its second and third readings with 62 votes in favor, 48 against, and one abstention.
The legislation was introduced by extreme right‑wing Knesset member Limor Son Har‑Melech and driven by fanatic National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, who has long advocated harsher measures against Palestinian detainees.
The Knesset’s National Security Committee advanced the bill last week after rejecting more than 2,000 objections, accelerating the legislation despite widespread controversy.
The law mandates execution by hanging within 90 days of sentencing and bars any possibility of pardon or commutation.
Courts may impose life imprisonment only under narrowly defined “special circumstances,” while the Prime Minister may request a limited postponement of execution.
The law applies differently across jurisdictions. In the occupied West Bank, the death penalty becomes the default sentence for Palestinians tried in Israeli military courts.
Outside the Knesset chamber, National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir celebrated the vote, lifting a champagne glass as he called the death penalty law a “historic” milestone and added, “Soon we will count them one by one.”
Inside Israel, Jewish Israelis remain exempt from mandatory execution for fatal attacks against the Palestinians, reinforcing the dual legal system governing Palestinians under occupation.
The measure has drawn condemnation from several European governments, which urged Israel to abandon the bill, calling capital punishment inhumane and ineffective.
Amnesty International warned that the law deepens Israel’s system of apartheid and risks placing the state at odds with the global movement to abolish the death penalty.
⚡️🇮🇱JUST IN:
Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir published a video showing an execution platform prepared specifically for hanging Palestinian detainees.
He sees this as an accomplishment to boast about. pic.twitter.com/KX55K2UoTG
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) March 18, 2026
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Israeli Knesset’s approval of the law mandating the execution of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons, describing it as a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.
Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fouad Al‑Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s absolute rejection and firm condemnation of what he called an illegal, discriminatory, and racist piece of legislation.
He stressed that the law contradicts the fundamental principles of international law, which prohibit an occupying power from imposing legislative frameworks to entrench its control over occupied territory.
Al‑Majali added that the measure forms part of a systematic Israeli policy targeting the Palestinian people and undermining their inalienable rights, including the right to self‑determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on their national soil in accordance with the two‑state solution.
Al‑Majali urged the international community to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities and to act swiftly and effectively to prevent Israel from implementing the law. He called for decisive international pressure to compel Israel to halt its unlawful decisions, void legislation, and unilateral measures that target the Palestinian people and their presence on their land.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Israel currently holds around 9,500 Palestinian and Arab detainees. Ninety‑seven prisoners have died in Israeli custody, and their bodies remain withheld, including 86 since October 7, 2023.
Since 1967, 326 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons due to torture, medical neglect, or other abuses.
