Israel’s Knesset passed a bill on Monday night, March 30, mandating the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly acts of terrorism. The law stipulates that the death penalty will be imposed on a terrorist who killed a person “with the intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.” The law’s wording creates a distinction designating it almost exclusively for Palestinians, while the ideological burden of proof it sets is expected to make impossible its application to Jewish terror difficult.
Racist National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the law’s strongest backers, has repeatedly worn a noose-shaped lapel pin, symbolizing executions under the bill. He described hanging as “one of the options”, alongside the electric chair.
Israeli and Palestinian protest against attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and against the death penalty law for promoted by Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, at Beit Jala near the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank, December 19, 2025 (Photo: Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)
According to the Communist Party of Israel, “death penalty for Arabs law Is a racist legislation that entrenches legal apartheid against Palestinians.”
The Hadash–Ta’al faction also strongly condemned the Knesset’s approval today of the “Death Penalty for Palestinians law. “This law is not merely a punitive measure—it is an official declaration of the institutionalization of apartheid and racism, and the transformation of the legal system into yet another tool in the violent political repression of the Palestinian people.”
Based on the principle of the sanctity of life, Hadash–Ta’al opposes the death penalty under all circumstances and against any person, “but more when it comes to selective, racist legislation that contradicts Israel’s obligations under international law.”
“By approving this bill, the government admits that the State of Israel operates two separate legal systems based on nationality and race: one that enables the execution of Arabs, and another that provides protection and immunity for Jewish criminals—this is apartheid at its clearest. We intend to submit an urgent petition to the Supreme Court to annul the law.”
On Sunday, Britain, France, Germany and Italy expressed “deep concern” over the legislation, which they said risked “undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles.” In February, Amnesty International urged Israeli lawmakers to reject the legislation, which it said, “would allow Israeli courts to expand their use of death sentences with discriminatory application against Palestinians.”
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=33189
