The Otzma Yehudit party on Tuesday circulated the draft principles of its proposed death penalty law for terrorists in the National Security Committee’s WhatsApp group.
According to the document, the law would apply exclusively to cases involving the murder of Jews. The death penalty would be imposed by a simple majority, carried out by lethal injection, and would not allow for an appeal. Execution would take place within 90 days and be administered by the Prison Service.
The proposal has drawn support not only from coalition parties but also from the Yisrael Beiteinu party.
The document states that the initiative is intended as a deterrent “that looks to the future based on past (negative) experience,” and stresses that the legislation must be fully enforceable rather than symbolic.
Under the proposed law, anyone who murders a Jew because they are Jewish – including those who plan or carry out such an attack – would automatically receive the death penalty. The sentence would be imposed without judicial discretion, without the possibility of appealing the type of punishment, and without options for plea bargains or pardons (in accordance with existing law). To prevent any attempt to delay or avoid the penalty, the law specifies that execution must occur within 90 days of the verdict becoming final. The method would be lethal injection, with adjustments to existing legislation as needed.
However, legal experts estimate that if enacted in its current form, the law would likely face significant challenges in the High Court and may be difficult to defend.