The Knesset’s National Security Committee, chaired by MK Tzvika Foghel, on Monday approved for a first reading the “Death Penalty for Terrorists” bill.
The bill stipulates that “a terrorist who murders an Israeli citizen out of racism or hostility toward a public, with the intent to harm the State of Israel or the revival of the Jewish people in its homeland, shall be sentenced to death, and to this punishment alone.”
Additionally, the proposal amends the law so that a death sentence could be imposed by a military court with a simple majority of judges, rather than a unanimous decision. The bill also prohibits reducing the sentence once it has been finalized.
In a closed session of the committee, Israel’s security establishment shifted its position on the bill. For the first time, representatives from the Shin Bet and other security agencies expressed principled support for advancing the legislation, reversing their longstanding opposition.
Security officials at the meeting emphasized that judges should still retain some discretion in deciding whether to impose the death penalty.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, also voiced support for the law for the first time. He had previously opposed it, citing risks to hostages’ safety, but said the situation has changed now that all living hostages have been returned.
“Previously I opposed the law because of the danger to hostages in Gaza,” Hirsch said. “Because all of the living hostages have been returned, the reality has changed. I spoke with the Prime Minister, and he supports the law.”
Hirsch added: “I view this law as a tool for dealing with terrorism. The coordinator for hostages and missing persons should be allowed to submit a classified report to the judge before sentencing a terrorist to death.”
In contrast, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who initiated the bill, strongly opposed leaving room for judicial discretion.
“There will be no judicial discretion,” he said. “Every terrorist must know that if he murders a Jew, there is only one punishment – the death penalty for terrorists.”
