Knesset passes controversial law: death penalty for terrorists!

Knesset passes controversial law: death penalty for terrorists!

On September 28, 2025, the discussion about the use of the death penalty in Israel is said to have taken a new turn. The Knesset National Security Commission has passed a law that would impose the death penalty for terrorists. The draft was adopted despite the concerns of the Commission's legal adviser, Iddo Ben Yitzhak, who highlighted the legal issues during the parliamentary recess. Times of Israel reports that the discussions were conducted largely without input from security authorities and the draft law was not sufficiently discussed.

The initiative came from Limor Son Har-Melech, a lawmaker from the Otzma Yehudit party, and was approved by four votes to five votes. On the other hand, Democratic Rep. Gilad Kariv was the only one who spoke out against the bill and was excluded from the discussions after his protest.

Concern about the impact

Gal Hirsch, who is responsible for the hostage crisis in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, expressed concerns about the negative impact of the law on hostages in Gaza. He called on Netanyahu to postpone the vote on the law until it can be discussed in more detail in the cabinet. Hirsch emphasized the need for a thorough examination of the matter before it is submitted to the Knesset. He also expressed disagreement with the assessments of the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Commission.

A look at the history of the death penalty in Israel shows that its use is extremely rare. Wikipedia highlights that Jewish religious law provides for the death penalty for a number of offenses, but its actual enforcement is rarely done today. The last civilian execution took place in 1962, when Adolf Eichmann was convicted for his war crimes.

The return of the debate about the death penalty

Over the years, the issue of the death penalty has been discussed following serious crimes and terrorist attacks. Political calls for a revival of the instrument have been loud again and again, particularly in response to the terrorist attack in Itamar in 2011 or the attacks in 2010 and 2017. However, the draft, which was introduced by the Israel Beytenou party in March 2015, was not listened to at the time.

In January 2018, the Knesset approved in a first reading a law that would make it easier to impose the death penalty through military courts, while in 2023, Times of Israel reported that a A similar law was passed with a clear majority. Despite these developments, the excitement about the possible consequences and the ethical discussion surrounding the revival of the death penalty remains unabated.