TEHRAN – The Israeli Knesset’s approval of the death penalty bill in its first reading marks a dangerous turning point — for Palestinians under occupation, for international law, and for humanity. Passed on Monday by a vote of 39 to 16, the bill targets Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis, while excluding Jewish Israelis who kill Palestinians — exposing its racist design. Supporters frame it as a deterrent against terrorism, but its true aim is to normalize execution as a tool of repression. Cloaked in the language of “deterrence” and “security,” it embeds state violence into the legal code.

Netanyahu’s opportunism 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reversal of his earlier opposition exposes the cynical betrayal at the heart of this legislation. He withheld support until after Israeli captives were released following the October 10, 2025 ceasefire, then gave the green light once his immediate risks were neutralized. His timing reveals a deliberate exploitation of humanitarian negotiations to advance punitive policies. Netanyahu’s decision is not about protecting Israelis—it is about appeasing farright allies and consolidating his fragile grip on power.

Ben-Gvir’s fascist triumph

The bill is the brainchild of Itamar BenGvir, whose Jewish Power party thrives on incitement and hatred. By pushing this legislation, BenGvir has secured a symbolic triumph that strengthens his grip on Israel’s coalition politics. Netanyahu’s endorsement is less about deterrence than about survival, granting BenGvir the tools to escalate repression while projecting the image of a government “making history.” In reality, it is history repeating itself: the normalization of fascist policies under the guise of national security.

Palestinian response

Responding to the parliamentary vote, Hamas declared that the proposed law “embodies the ugly fascist face of the rogue Zionist occupation and represents a blatant violation of international law.” The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates echoed this condemnation, calling it a “new form of escalating Israeli extremism and criminality against the Palestinian people.” These reactions underscore that Palestinians view the legislation not as a matter of security but as an explicit attempt to legalize ethnic persecution and deepen apartheid.

Prisoners under torture 

The brutality of this bill cannot be separated from the broader reality of Israel’s prison system. More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons. Human rights organizations, both Israeli and Palestinian, assert that detainees are subjected to torture, starvation, and medical neglect, conditions that have already led to the deaths of numerous prisoners. The introduction of a death penalty law in this context is not about deterrence—it is about extending the machinery of repression from the prison cell to the execution chamber.
Institutionalized apartheid

Israel’s military courts in the occupied West Bank already deny Palestinians basic due process, with UN experts condemning them as fundamentally unjust. This bill strips away even minimal safeguards, allowing death sentences by a simple majority of military judges. Palestinians, subject to military law, face harsher standards than Israeli settlers, who remain under civilian jurisdiction. The disparity exposes the apartheid nature of Israel’s legal system, where two populations live under separate and unequal regimes.

U.S. complicity 

Human rights organizations have denounced the bill as a blatant violation of international law. Capital punishment applied in a discriminatory manner contravenes global norms, yet Israel presses forward with impunity. The United States, through silence and continued military aid, is complicit. Washington’s backing enables Israel to entrench apartheid and normalize state violence, while shielding it from accountability in international forums. By tolerating such legislation, the U.S. reinforces a double standard: condemning capital punishment elsewhere while enabling its use as a weapon of ethnic domination in Israel.
The death penalty bill lays bare Israel’s ulterior motives: to transform the machinery of law into a weapon of ethnic domination, legitimizing violence against Palestinians while cloaking it in legality. It is not merely a legal reform—it is the codification of apartheid and the normalization of slaughter.