Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
The Israeli parliament has advanced a bill that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinian militants convicted of killing Israeli citizens, with some lawmakers believing it would prevent future prisoner-release deals.
In a vote held late on Monday – the first of several needed for the measure to become law – the bill passed with 39 in favour and 16 against, out of 120 lawmakers.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had called on all political factions to back the bill, which he has said was aimed at creating deterrence against “Arab terrorism”.
“This is how we fight terror; this is how we create deterrence,” he said in a statement after the initial vote. “Once the law is finally passed — terrorists will be released only to hell.”
The bill will now move to a parliamentary committee for further debate before a second and third vote.
It is not guaranteed that it will become law, with several key political parties having boycotted Monday’s initial vote.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid was quoted by Israeli media as saying that he would not vote in favour of the bill.
The PLO, the Palestinian national umbrella political group, condemned the vote, with Palestinian National Council Speaker Rawhi Fattouh calling the draft law “a political, legal, and humanitarian crime”. The vote was also criticized by Hamas.
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