Under the proposed law, terrorist murderers would face execution by hanging.
The Knesset National Security Committee on Tuesday cleared a bill mandating either the death penalty or life imprisonment for terrorists for its final votes in the Knesset plenum.
Knesset bills require three votes, or readings, by the Knesset plenum to become law. The death penalty bill passed its first reading on Nov. 10 by a vote of 39 to 16. It was then sent to committee for further debate. With the committee’s work completed, the bill is now transferred back to the Knesset plenum for its final two votes.
There have been several attempts to pass death penalty for terrorists bills over the years. This one stands out for being the first to advance this far in the legislative process, reflecting a hardening of attitudes in Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist invasion by Hamas.
MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit Party, whose first husband died in a terrorist attack during the Second Intifada in August 2003, sponsored the bill.
