Overview
- The bill passed its first Knesset reading and is moving through committee toward second and third votes, with amendments still possible before final passage.
- Draft principles require executions within 90 days by lethal injection carried out by the Prison Service, bar appeals, and leave no discretion for mitigation, plea deals or pardon as presently written.
- The proposal applies to those convicted of killing Israelis on nationalistic grounds, a scope critics argue is aimed at Palestinian defendants.
- Shin Bet chief David Zini informed the government the agency now supports the measure, while an IDF representative reported no principled objection but advocated incorporating judicial discretion rather than a mandatory sentence.
- The initiative is driven by Otzma Yehudit and sponsor Limor Son Har‑Melech with public backing from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Palestinian authorities, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and human-rights groups condemn it as discriminatory and unlawful.