Israel's Knesset approved a law on March 31 that imposes the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of terrorism-related killings in the occupied West Bank, passing the measure by a 62–48 vote. The law mandates execution by hanging within 90 days of final conviction, extendable to 180 days, for any non-Israeli resident of the West Bank who intentionally causes death in an act deemed terrorism by military courts. Israeli citizens and settlers are excluded. The bill was co-sponsored by Limor Son Har Melech and Nissim Vaturi, and celebrated by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who opened champagne at the Knesset and declared, "This is historic! With God's help, soon we will execute them one by one!" In the lead-up, Ben-Gvir wore a noose-shaped lapel pin. The law does not apply retroactively and excludes the Gaza Strip, though a separate bill targeting suspects from the October 7 attacks is expected soon. Israel has carried out only two state executions in its history: one in 1948 of an army captain later found innocent, and the 1962 hanging of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann. The legislation allows for life imprisonment only if "special circumstances" are determined, though these remain undefined. Amnesty International condemned the law, citing a military court conviction rate exceeding 99% for Palestinians and warning it removes fair-trial protections. Protests erupted in Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus, with shops closed and demonstrations held. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for general strikes. Hamas denounced the law as reflecting "the bloody nature of the occupation," while Spain and the EU criticized it as discriminatory and a step toward apartheid.
When Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrates with champagne over a death penalty law that targets only Palestinians, it signals not justice but state-sanctioned retribution dressed as legislation. The exclusion of Israeli settlers from the law's reach, combined with a 99% conviction rate in military courts, reveals a system where nationality determines legal consequence. This law does not respond to security needs—it entrenches a dual legal reality in the West Bank. That such a measure passes under the guise of counterterrorism confirms the erosion of due process where one population holds power over another.
