What to know about Israel’s controversial death penalty law for Palestinians: summary

What we know

• On Monday, March 30, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a law mandating the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly “terrorist” attacks.
• The vote took place during a chaotic 12-hour session, with lawmakers shouting protests inside the chamber.
• The legislation was passed by a 62–48 vote, with one abstention.
• The law applies to military courts in the West Bank and sets the death penalty by hanging as the default sentence.
• Executions are to be carried out within 90 days, with limited appeal options, though life imprisonment may still be considered in special cases.
• Some lawmakers were escorted out following protests after the vote.
• The law marks a major shift, as Israel abolished the death penalty for murder in 1954, with only one execution since then in 1962.
• The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has petitioned the Supreme Court to freeze implementation of the law.
• The move has drawn criticism from international actors, including Germany, France, Italy, and Britain, who warned it may be discriminatory and undermine democratic principles.

What they said

Limor Son Har-Melech, Knesset member for Otzma Yehudit, announced, "The Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, 5786–2026, has been approved in the second and third readings and will enter the law books of the State of Israel. Blessed are we who have lived, endured, and reached this moment. The people of Israel live." National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also said, “Today we are restoring sanity to the State of Israel… A law of the death penalty for terrorists… is a historic law that changes the current reality.”