Senior Haredi leader tells Degel HaTorah to vote against death penalty for terrorists bill

By Sam Sokol 10 November 2025, 9:23 am

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Rabbi Dov Lando addresses an anti-enlistment conference in Bnei Brak, July 31, 2025. (Daniel Nafusi)

The spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah party, Rabbi Dov Lando, instructs his faction’s lawmakers to vote against a government-backed bill that would impose the death penalty on terrorists who kill Israelis in the Knesset plenum this afternoon, sparking a public clash with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Degel HaTorah is one of two factions comprising the larger United Torah Judaism party. The faction’s opposition will not necessarily scupper the bill, as there are some members of the opposition who may vote for it.

Ben Gvir has threatened that his far right Otzma Yehudit party would cease voting with the coalition unless the controversial legislation passes its first reading this week. The bill is currently being advanced with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support.

In a statement, Ben Gvir slams Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, accusing him of having “once again chosen his old alliance with [Ahmad] Tibi,” one of the leaders of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party.

“Gafni’s constant flirtation with the left is contrary to the position of his voters, who are persecuted by the left. The death penalty for terrorists will bring both justice and deterrence, including for the families of Haredim who were murdered in terror attacks. I expect all Haredi Members of Knesset to support this life-saving law and not believe the false promises of the left and the Arab parties,” Ben Gvir says in a statement.

Hitting back, a spokesman for Lando argues that such a policy would endanger Jewish lives “because if Arabs around the world see that we are doing such a thing, it could lead to bloodshed.”

“And in any case, there is no chance that a court would approve a death sentence, so it is pure provocation,” the spokesman adds.

The ultra-Orthodox UTJ and Shas parties are engaged in a protracted partial legislative boycott of the coalition in a bid to pressure Netanyahu to advance a bill granting sweeping exemptions from military service to yeshiva students.