Overview
- The Knesset approved the bill Monday in a 62–48 vote, making death by hanging the default sentence in West Bank military courts for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis.
- The law limits appeals and pardons and requires executions within 90 days of a final verdict, or up to 180 days if the prime minister grants a delay.
- It also lowers the threshold for imposing a death sentence from a unanimous panel to a simple majority and does not apply to people already convicted.
- Rights groups and liberal lawmakers have petitioned Israel’s High Court to strike down the statute as discriminatory, citing military courts that try Palestinians and post conviction rates near 96% according to B’Tselem.
- Global pushback is growing, with the U.N. rights chief calling the measure deeply discriminatory, the European Union labeling it a grave regression, and eight Muslim‑majority countries issuing a joint condemnation on Thursday.