Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has issued a stark ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: pass legislation enabling the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners within three weeks, or lose the support of his party in key government votes.
Ben Gvir, leader of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Power party, delivered the threat during a meeting with his party’s Knesset members at the opening of the Israeli parliament’s winter session. His remarks, first reported by Israel’s Channel 12, come amid rising political tensions within Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition.
“If the death penalty law is not brought to a vote within three weeks, we will not be obligated to support coalition legislation until it is,” Ben Gvir stated, underscoring the growing rifts in Israel’s far-right-dominated government.
The controversial bill, initially approved by a parliamentary committee in late September, would allow Israeli courts to sentence Palestinians to death if convicted of killing Israeli citizens, particularly when the motive is defined as “racial hatred” or intent to harm the State of Israel. For the bill to become law, it must pass three readings in the Knesset.
Currently, the death penalty exists in Israeli law but has not been applied since 1962, when Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was executed. The revival of capital punishment, especially targeted exclusively at Palestinians, has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights groups and legal experts who warn of deepening racial discrimination and further erosion of legal norms.
More than 10,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including women and children. Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented harsh conditions in these facilities, including allegations of torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Dozens of prisoners have died in custody under circumstances that rights groups have described as suspicious or preventable.
The push for the death penalty law comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over its ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Since the war began on October 8, 2023, following a deadly Hamas-led attack, Israel has launched what critics describe as a campaign of collective punishment in the densely populated coastal enclave.
According to Palestinian and international sources, the war has left over 68,000 Palestinians dead and more than 170,000 wounded, most of them women and children. Gaza’s already fragile infrastructure has been decimated, with 90% of civilian buildings damaged or destroyed. Famine conditions have also emerged, with at least 463 people among them 157 children dying from starvation amid Israel’s near-total blockade of food, fuel, and medical supplies.
In this broader context of war and humanitarian catastrophe, Ben Gvir’s call to execute Palestinian detainees further intensifies tensions not only between Israelis and Palestinians but also within Israel’s political establishment.
While Netanyahu has so far managed to maintain cohesion among his right-wing and ultra-Orthodox allies, growing demands from extremists within his coalition, such as Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are testing his ability to govern. Any breakdown in coalition unity could threaten the stability of his government, already facing internal protests, legal troubles, and external diplomatic pressure.
Critics argue that Ben Gvir’s push for the death penalty is more about political posturing than policy, aimed at consolidating his base among hardline nationalist voters. However, given the current makeup of the Israeli government, such proposals once relegated to the political fringes are now at the heart of legislative debate.
The coming weeks may prove decisive, not only for the fate of the controversial bill but also for the direction of Israeli politics as a whole, as the country continues to grapple with war, civil unrest, and international scrutiny.
