Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, center, and lawmakers celebrate after Israel’s parliament passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis (AP photo)

Israel’s parliament on Monday approved a law enabling the use of the death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly militant attacks, a move critics say is unlikely to be applied to Jewish extremists found guilty of similar violence.The measure marks a significant win for the country’s far-right bloc and reflects a tougher posture toward Palestinians following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. While capital punishment has long existed in Israeli law, it has been carried out only twice in the country’s 78-year history.The Knesset cleared the legislation after hours of heated debate late Monday, despite opposition from justice officials, rights groups and governments including Britain and Germany.Under the new law, military courts handling cases involving Palestinians will treat hanging as the default sentence for those convicted of deadly attacks. The provision can also apply to Israeli citizens, both Jewish and Arab, in cases where killings are deemed to be aimed at “negat[ing] the existence of the State of Israel.” However, experts say it is highly unlikely that Jewish Israelis would face such punishment for attacks on Palestinians.Judges retain the authority to allow exceptions under unspecified circumstances. Those convicted in military courts will have no clearly defined path to seek pardons, though the law does not apply retroactively to prisoners already serving sentences.With Israel’s national doctors’ union refusing to administer lethal injections, executions would be carried out by hanging. Some right-wing lawmakers signalled their support by wearing gold noose-shaped pins inside the Knesset.Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition argued the law would serve as a deterrent against future attacks, including kidnappings aimed at securing the release of jailed Palestinian militants.Opponents, both within Israel and internationally, have condemned the law as discriminatory, arguing it is structured to target Palestinians while effectively excluding Jewish extremists.“By design, this legislation exclusively targets Palestinians, violating the fundamental principle of equality and prohibition on racial discrimination,” Suhad Bishara, a lawyer with the Palestinian rights group Adalah, told New York Times.Public opinion surveys indicate that a majority of Jewish Israelis support, at least in principle, the execution of Palestinian militants. The law passed with relatively limited public protest and drew backing from some members of the opposition as well.