Israel's Knesset passed a bill on Monday, March 30, 2026, that makes the death penalty by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis, in a move widely condemned as racist, discriminatory, and a grave violation of international law. The legislation, championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party, passed its final readings with 62 votes in favor and 48 against, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu present to cast his vote in support. As the bill passed, Ben Gvir brandished a bottle in celebration while wearing his signature lapel pin: a small metal noose.
A Law Designed for Discriminatory Application
The legislation creates two parallel legal tracks that critics say are explicitly designed to target Palestinians while exempting Jewish Israelis from capital punishment. Under the new law, military courts in the occupied West Bank, which have jurisdiction only over Palestinians and have a near-100 percent conviction rate must impose the death sentence on Palestinians convicted of murdering an Israeli "as an act of terror," with only narrow exceptions for "special circumstances". The sentence must be carried out within 90 days with no right to clemency.
Meanwhile, Israeli civilian courts, which try Israeli citizens including Jewish Israelis, may choose between death or life imprisonment only in cases where the murder was committed with "the intent of rejecting the existence of the State of Israel"; a definition that, as legal experts note, effectively excludes Jewish perpetrators. Amichai Cohen, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, explained that "it will apply in territories with military courts, which are Palestinian courts... That means Jews will not be indicted under this law".
Immediate Supreme Court Challenge and Constitutional Crisis
Within minutes of the law's passage, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) filed a petition with Israel's Supreme Court demanding the legislation be struck down, calling it "discriminatory by design" and "enacted without legal authority" over the West Bank. The petition argues that the Knesset lacks jurisdiction to legislate directly for occupied Palestinian territory, where the military commander remains the governing authority under international law, and that the law's accelerated execution timeline of 90 days creates an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people. Additional petitions are expected from Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and other human rights organizations.
Outrage from Palestinian Prisoner Advocates
Palestinian prisoner rights groups have warned that the law poses a direct threat to the lives of thousands of Palestinians already languishing in Israeli detention. Abdallah Al Zughari, head of the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, noted that Palestinians in Israeli jails have already been subjected to "slow killing practices" that have led to the deaths of more than 100 prisoners since October 7, 2023. Currently, more than 9,300 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including women and minors, according to Palestinian figures, with widespread reports of torture, medical neglect, and starvation. The new law, Zughari said, would pose a "major threat to the lives of detainees".
European Allies Condemn Discriminatory Nature
In an unusual display of public criticism of a close ally, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement on Sunday expressing "deep concern" over the legislation, warning that it risked "undermining Israel's commitments with regards to democratic principles". The ministers said they were particularly concerned by the bill's "de facto discriminatory character" toward Palestinians. The Netherlands later joined the condemnation, with Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen stating that the Netherlands "is principally against the death penalty and urges Israel's government and Parliament to reconsider this bill". Amnesty International had earlier urged Israeli lawmakers to reject the legislation, warning that it "would further entrench Israel's system of apartheid" against Palestinians.