Published: 7 April 2026
Last updated: 7 April 2026
As Jews across the globe were deep in Passover preparations, Israel’s Knesset reintroduced the death penalty - dormant for more than six decades, since the execution of Adolf Eichmann, its only recipient.
Aside from the immorality of employing the death penalty, the ‘Death Penalty for Terrorists’ law is deeply flawed. This should not be surprising, given that it is sponsored by MK Limor Son Har-Melech, an Otzma Yehudi party colleague of Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Firstly, the law is inherently discriminatory: in the West Bank, “Israeli citizens or residents” are explicitly exempt from prosecution by the military tribunal. Meanwhile, for those convicted of the same offence within Israel, a civilian court judge can choose between the death penalty or life imprisonment if there is sufficient evidence to show their actions were intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel”.
Son Har-Melech has confirmed that Palestinians will be the main targets, asserting that “there is no such thing as a Jewish terrorist”. The Association for Civil Rights is Israel (ACRI) noted this creates “a dual and discriminatory legal system based on ethnicity, deepening racial segregation”.
Secondly, by not only re-introducing the death penalty but also expanding its scope, Israel is clearly breaching a number of sections in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), in particular articles on the Right to Life, Fair Trial Rights, Right to non-discrimination and Equality before the law.
Comments3
Ralph Pliner12 April at 07:49 pm
An excellent article. One of the clearest expositions of the law and how it applies both in the military tribunals in the West Bank and the courts in Israel.
Joseph Silver12 April at 12:50 am
I personally oppose this law – it won’t significantly deter terrorist attacks. For Islamist terrorists, death can carry more meaning than life; those involved in such attacks often assume they will not survive anyway. The Israeli High Court may still rule the law incompatible with Israel’s Basic Laws.
Which countries condemn Israel’s proposed law?
Saudi Arabia carried out 347 executions in 2025 and 345 in 2024. Many of these were for offenses such as drug trafficking, smuggling, and even apostasy (leaving Islam). Executions are often carried out by beheading.
Egypt has carried out dozens of executions in recent years, executing civilians by hanging and military personnel by firing squad.
Jordan lifted a moratorium on capital punishment in 2014 and since more than 20 individuals have been executed.
Indonesia retains the death penalty, with executions carried out by firing squad.
Turkey considered reinstating the death penalty, particularly for terrorism-related offenses. How is that fundamentally different from what Israel is attempting?
Pakistan has one of the largest death row populations in the world and since 2014 there have been more than 500 executions.
Even Afghanistan, under the Taliban, criticized Israel.
Hypocrisy remains the global currency, growing more pervasive with each passing day.
Rachel Sussman10 April at 07:50 am
I do not like the death penalty anywhere.
And while I understand the unease about it I find it hypocritical for all who jump in to criticize Israel while they have been silent for decades about other countries – including the USA and all Muslim countries – who have the death penalty.
Why does no one raise a concern or object to all death penalties wherever it is practiced?
Again it seems that there is one rule that applies to Israel and another to all other States/Countries.
And no, whether one likes it or not, it is not discrimination nor unlawful since the Palestinians living in the West Bank chose to be under the Palestinian Authority Rule and not under Israel laws, so by law, different laws applies to them.
The point is that one can say they do not like the death penalty and they are free to object to it, but if so, one needs to raise a voice also about the death penalty everywhere else, otherwise, it is simply another form of anti-Israel expression!