The Knesset National Security Committee has advanced a controversial bill paving the way for the death penalty for terrorists, with government hostage envoy Gal Hirsch revealing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the measure. The bill could reach its first reading in the Knesset plenum as early as Wednesday, according to Hebrew media reports.

Under the proposal, Israeli courts would be empowered to impose the death sentence on individuals convicted of carrying out a nationalistically motivated murder of an Israeli citizen. The measure, however, explicitly excludes Israelis who kill Palestinians — a provision that has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers and legal experts who warn it could further inflame tensions and erode judicial norms.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a key proponent of the legislation and head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, praised Netanyahu for backing the bill but demanded an even harsher approach, insisting that judges should have no discretion in imposing the death penalty.

“I thank the prime minister for his support for Otzma Yehudit’s bill for the death penalty for terrorists, but the court must not have any discretion — every terrorist who goes out to murder must know that the death penalty will be imposed on him. It’s time for justice!” Ben Gvir wrote on X.

Critics warn that the legislation, if passed, risks isolating Israel internationally and undermining its judicial system’s integrity. Proponents, however, argue that it is a long-overdue deterrent and a moral imperative in the face of unrelenting terrorism.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)