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Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Lawmakers advance death penalty for terrorists bill to Knesset plenum for final vote
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The Knesset National Security Committee votes to advance the coalition’s controversial bill to legislate the death penalty for terror convicts to the plenum for the final two readings needed for it to pass into law.
The vote is held after a marathon session attended by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit party colleague MK Limor Son Har-Melech sponsored the legislation.
“The law sets out a clear and unequivocal message: Those who choose to murder Jews because they are Jews lose their right to live,” says Har-Melech, calling the bill’s advancement “a moral and necessary step.”
Ben Gvir says the legislation is a “historic moment of justice for the State of Israel. Those who choose to murder Jews just because they are Jews have one sentence: death.”
“No more revolving door of attacks, imprisonments and releases,” he adds. “This law restores deterrence, restores justice and sends a clear and unambiguous message to our enemies: Jewish blood is not cheap. We will continue to lead an uncompromising policy against terror until victory.”
The bill has been subject to numerous objections and proposed amendments from opposition lawmakers and the committee’s legal adviser, who have argued that the bill is unconstitutional and discriminatory.
Significant changes were made last week to “soften” the bill, following pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which argued that the draft was harsher than US capital punishment standards and could expose Israel to diplomatic and legal scrutiny abroad.
According to a statement by Otzma Yehudit, the bill will advance to its second and third readings in the Knesset next week.
Committee chairman Zvika Fogel urges “all members of the coalition” to vote in favor of the bill in its final two readings.
The Times of Israel Community.