A contentious bill proposing the death penalty for individuals deemed ‘terrorists’ has sparked widespread debate in Israel. Sponsored by far-right lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech, the legislation explicitly targets those who ‘harm the State of Israel’ while excluding Jewish perpetrators. Har-Melech asserted that ‘there’s no such thing as a Jewish terrorist,’ defending the bill as ‘very clear and unequivocal.’ The proposal, advanced by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, was approved by an Israeli panel on Monday, setting the stage for its first parliamentary reading. The bill would enable Israeli courts to impose capital punishment on Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis on ‘nationalistic grounds,’ but it does not apply to Israelis who kill Palestinians under similar circumstances. Har-Melech justified the measure by stating, ‘A dead terrorist is a terrorist who won’t return to the cycle of terror.’ Meanwhile, she criticized former Israeli army legal chief Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who is under investigation for allegedly leaking footage of Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian detainee, accusing her of ‘lying and deceiving’ the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Har-Melech also praised an Israeli convicted of murdering three members of a Palestinian family in 2015 as a ‘truly holy man’ and called for his release, labeling his imprisonment a ‘crime.’ The bill and Har-Melech’s statements have drawn sharp criticism, with opponents arguing that the legislation is discriminatory and undermines justice.
‘No such thing as Jewish terrorist’ says Israeli MP sponsoring bill to execute Palestinians
