Israel’s parliament has passed a law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks on Israelis, a move that has sparked sharp criticism both domestically and internationally.
The legislation, approved on Monday (30 March), makes hanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians found guilty of terrorism resulting in fatalities. It also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment on Israeli citizens convicted of similar offences. The law will only apply to future cases and is not retroactive.
The bill represents a significant victory for Israel’s far-right, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending the vote in person. It was spearheaded by the Otzma Yehudit party and championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who described the law as “long overdue” and a symbol of national strength.
Following the vote, the chamber erupted in cheers, with Ben-Gvir celebrating the measure from the podium.
"This is a day of justice for the murdered, a day of deterrence for enemies," Ben-Gvir said in parliament. "Whoever chooses terror chooses death."
Under the new rules, those sentenced to death will be held in separate facilities, with visits restricted to authorised personnel and legal consultations conducted via video link.
Executions are expected to be carried out within 90 days of sentencing. Military courts in the occupied West Bank will have the power to impose death sentences, and prosecutors will no longer need a unanimous decision from judges to pursue capital punishment.
The law has drawn fierce criticism from Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, who warn it is discriminatory, draconian, and unlikely to deter violence. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has already filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the legislation.
International observers have also expressed concern. United Nation experts have called on Israel to withdraw the bill, citing violations of the right to life and international prohibitions against torture.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Mahmoud Abbas described the legislation as a breach of international law and a deliberate attempt to intimidate Palestinians.
In a statement from his office, he said: “Such laws will not break the will of the Palestinian people or undermine their steadfastness. Nor will they deter them from continuing their legitimate struggle for freedom, independence, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad urged Palestinians to carry out retaliatory attacks in response to the law, raising fears of further violence in the region.
The European Union said in a statement it condemned the measure saying the new law was "deeply concerning" and said it "opposes capital punishment in all classes and under all circumstances."
Britain, France, Germany, and Italy warned the move could undermine Israel’s democratic commitments.
The UK's government said in a statement that "We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles."
Amnesty International described the law as a discriminatory expansion of capital punishment against Palestinians.
Israel has rarely used the death penalty, with Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann the last person executed in 1962.
The law marks a major shift in Israeli penal policy, closing off avenues for appeal or clemency for Palestinians under occupation, while Israeli citizens could still see sentences reduced to life imprisonment.
The legislation is expected to face legal challenges in Israel’s Supreme Court, which will determine whether it can stand. Critics argue it risks exposing Israeli personnel to prosecution abroad and further inflaming tensions in the occupied territories.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fa...
Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two s...
Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Monday, as President D...
At least 70 people have been killed and more than 30 wounded in a gang attack in Haiti’s Artibonite region, according to two rights organisat...
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined high-level talks in Islamabad over the weekend as part of an intensified four-way diplomatic effort to ...
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were killed in Israeli strikes.
Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Monday, as President Donald Trump warned the U.S. would obliterate Iran's energy plants and oil wells if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz.
At least 70 people have been killed and more than 30 wounded in a gang attack in Haiti’s Artibonite region, according to two rights organisations, as thousands of residents fled the violence in the towns of Jean Denis and Pont Sondé.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
Cuba and the United States have been at odds for more than six decades, with tensions rooted in the 1959 revolution that transformed the island’s political and economic system. Renewed focus on relations comes as Donald Trump’s rhetoric intensifies and conditions on the island worsen.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The four astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission have arrived in Florida, entering the final phase of preparations for the first crewed journey towards the Moon in more than five decades
Russian drone attacks on Ukraine have killed four people, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday (28 March).
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene in the escalating Gulf conflict, warning that only he could prevent it from spreading further.
The Middle East conflict has entered a new phase, with Israel expanding its operations into southern Lebanon and tensions with Iran escalating. Analysts warn that the collapse of traditional deterrence and rising nuclear risks could trigger a global arms race.
Imports of industrial goods into Kyrgyzstan surged in January 2026, driven by a construction boom and the modernisation of production capacity, with China supplying $51.2 million in electrical equipment to become the country’s largest trading partner.
Georgia’s Minister of Economy, Mariam Kvrivishvili, met UK Ambassador Gareth Edward Ward in Tbilisi on 27–28 March to discuss trade, investment and transport links between Georgia and the United Kingdom.
Iran on Monday described U.S. proposals to end a month-long war in the Middle East as “unrealistic, illogical and excessive” and launched further missile strikes on Israel as oil prices continued to climb following Yemen’s Houthi entry into the conflict.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment