Lawmakers from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party wore noose-shaped lapel pins during a Monday committee meeting on a controversial bill they are pushing to legislate the death penalty for terror convicts, drawing condemnation from opposition figures.

The golden-colored pins were reminiscent of the yellow ribbons worn by most Israeli politicians and officials outside the far-right to show solidarity with hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The nooses were meant to symbolize the lawmakers’ “commitment to the demand for the death penalty for terrorists” and send “a clear message that terrorists are deserving of death,” fascist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s office said in a statement.

Now at the Knesset in Israel and then, the KKK in southern United States (Photo from the X site of MK Odeh)

According to Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, “Members of the Israeli government appeared at the Knesset today proudly wearing pins shaped like a hangman’s noose. This is the symbol they chose to promote a racist law imposing the death penalty exclusively on Palestinians. The hangman’s noose is one of the vilest symbols of hatred against African Americans, historically embraced by white supremacists and the KKK, and it evokes emotions as visceral as the swastika does for Jews. This is the true face of the Israeli government: racist, fascist, supremacist. A regime that wears its hatred proudly and unapologetically.”

“Today in the Knesset, the minister convicted of supporting Jewish terrorism Itamar Ben Gvir and several other members of his fascist list, proudly wore a noose pin. This stunt comes as the racist thug pushes legislation that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinians the Israeli government labels as ‘terrorists.’ As history shows, when symbols of death and killing are worn and celebrated, death and murder themselves are already around the corner,” agreed MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash).