Israeli Parliament Advances Controversial Death Penalty

The amendment to the penal code, demanded by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and approved by the National Security Committee, was approved by 39 votes to 16. It must pass a second and third reading before becoming law.

The bill also amends the military courts law, with jurisdiction over the occupied West Bank, allowing courts there to impose the death penalty by a simple majority vote on the judge’s panel instead of a unanimous vote.

While the death penalty exists for a small number of crimes in Israel, it has become a de facto abolitionist country, the Nazi Holocaust perpetrator Adolf Eichmann was the last person to be executed in 1962.

Ben Gvir had threatened to withdraw his Jewish Power party from the governing coalition if the law were not put to a vote. After the vote, he distributed sweets to lawmakers in the parliament.

In the same session, lawmakers also passed the first reading of a separate bill that would give the Israeli government the authority to close foreign media outlets without needing approval from a court. 

The legislation, informally referred to as the “Al Jazeera Law,” was prompted by the 2024 closure of the Qatari network’s operations in Israel.

The bill would make these powers permanent, extend them beyond wartime or national emergencies and eliminate judicial oversight.

Human rights and press freedom groups criticized the move, warning that it threatens the independence of the press in Israel.