TEL AVIV, November 3, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli Knesset's Security Committee approved on Monday a bill that would allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light for the bill. The committee approved it and referred it to the Knesset plenum for discussion and a vote in the upcoming legislative stages. A vote is expected next Wednesday.

A Knesset committee had previously approved the bill on Sunday, September 29, paving the way for its first reading.

The law is part of the agreements signed to form the coalition government headed by Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Jewish Power party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir in late 2022.

The bill to execute prisoners is not new; it has been proposed repeatedly over the years, most recently in 2022 when the extremist minister Ben-Gvir reintroduced it with a number of amendments. It was eventually approved by the Knesset in its preliminary reading in March 2023.

The bill stipulates "the death penalty for anyone who intentionally or negligently causes the death of an Israeli citizen out of racist or hateful motives and to harm Israel."

The bill in its first reading will allow it to continue its advancement in the next Knesset, even if it is not completed during the current session.

The legislative process in Israel involves several stages, beginning with the drafting of a bill by a Knesset member or a government committee, as explained on the Knesset website.

In a specially convened meeting, the Knesset Speaker approves the proposed laws submitted to him, which are then brought before the Knesset plenum on the same day for a preliminary reading. The bill is debated, and a decision is made regarding its approval. If approved, it is then referred to a parliamentary committee for further discussion in preparation for its first reading.

If the proposed laws are submitted by the government, rather than by a Knesset member, as is the case with the death penalty bill, or by Knesset committees, they do not undergo preliminary debate and proceed directly to the first reading. The bills submitted for the first reading are published in the official gazette, and a vote is then held to either reject them or allow them to proceed to further debate.

If the proposal passes the first reading, it is referred to a specialized Knesset committee for preparation for the second and third readings. After the committee concludes its deliberations, the bills undergo further debate in the plenum, followed by the second and third readings.

After the proposal is approved in three readings, the law becomes part of the State of Israel's legal code and is published in the official records, thus entering into force.

The push to pass this extremist law comes within the context of a war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since October 7th of last year.

K.T