Capital punishment, discussed in the Israeli Parliament. The extreme right is putting pressure on the Netanyahu government

The National Security Committee of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) voted on Monday in favor of a bill that provides for the introduction of the death penalty for the perpetrators of “terrorist” attacks, a measure supported by the far-right Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, AFP reports, taken over by Agerpres.

The commission approved an amendment to the criminal code, which will now be sent to parliament for a first reading vote. A law is passed in Israel after a third reading vote. According to the Israeli hostage mediator, Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports this initiative.

In an explanatory note of the commission, it is stated that “its objective is to eliminate terrorism at the root and to create a strong deterrent.” The text states that “a terrorist found guilty of a crime motivated by racism or hatred (…) must be sentenced to death”, adding that this punishment will not be “optional”.

The bill was introduced by a member of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party of Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Ben Gvir has threatened to no longer vote with Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition if the bill is not put to a parliamentary vote by November 9. “Any terrorist who prepares to commit a crime must know that there is only one punishment: the death penalty,” the minister said in a statement on Monday.

Ben Gvir released a video on Friday in which he stood in front of a row of Palestinian prisoners lying face down, hands tied behind their backs, and in which he called for the death penalty.