Gaza Herald – In a highly controversial move, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has advanced a proposed bill that would impose the death penalty on Palestinian detainees, following approval by its National Security Committee late last night.
The legislation, which is set to proceed to its second and third readings next week, outlines sweeping and unprecedented measures, including the imposition of a mandatory death sentence without the need for unanimous judicial agreement.
According to the proposal, executions would be carried out by hanging under the Israeli authority of prison services, with implementation required within a defined timeframe of up to 90 days. The bill also explicitly removes any possibility of pardon or sentence commutation.
The advancement of the bill marks a significant escalation in Israel’s penal policy, raising serious legal and ethical concerns among observers and rights advocates, particularly regarding due process and compliance with international law.
If passed, the legislation would represent a historic shift in the use of capital punishment, which has been largely absent from Israel’s legal system for decades, except in extremely limited and exceptional cases.
The development is expected to intensify scrutiny from international human rights organizations, amid broader concerns over the treatment of Palestinian detainees and the legal frameworks governing their detention.
