TEL AVIV, March 24, 2026 (WAFA) – The National Security Committee of the Israeli Knesset on Tuesday approved the draft law on the death penalty for Palestinian detainees, in preparation for presenting it for a vote in the second and third readings next week.

The draft law stipulates imposing the death penalty on anyone who intentionally causes the killing of a person in an act classified as a terrorist act. It also states that no pardon may be granted in such cases, meaning the sentence would be final and cannot be reduced or altered by any future political or legal decision.

According to the draft, the punishment is mandatory and does not require judicial unanimity. The execution would be carried out by the Israeli Prison Service by hanging, to be implemented within 90 days from the date of confirmation.

In its official wording, the draft law aims to determine the death penalty for perpetrators of killings classified as terrorist acts, in the context of combating terrorism, specifying that anyone who intentionally causes the killing of a person with the aim of harming a citizen or resident of Israel, or with the motive of denying the existence of the state, shall be punished only by death or life imprisonment.

The draft distinguishes between Israel and the West Bank in its application, stipulating the death penalty as the primary punishment in the West Bank while granting military courts exceptional authority to impose life imprisonment in special circumstances, with the Minister of Security defining the policy of the judicial body responsible for trying the accused.

The draft law also grants the Prime Minister the authority to petition the court to delay the execution of a death sentence in special circumstances, provided that the total delay does not exceed 180 days, despite the main execution period being set at 90 days from confirmation.

The draft law was presented by Member of Knesset Limor Son Har‑Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party, led by far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

T.R.