The Israeli parliament has advanced a bill that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinian fighters 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.”