Israeli National Security Minister Showcases Construction of Execution Site for Palestinians

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a video showing the construction of a site where Palestinians convicted of terrorism will be executed by hanging. In the video, Ben-Gvir points to foundations at an unidentified location and states that the facility will include rooms where victims of crimes can watch the executions. He described the project as the fulfillment of his promises to worsen prison conditions for terrorists and implement the death penalty. This follows a law approved by the Israeli Parliament in March that mandates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of lethal terrorist attacks in military courts, except in special circumstances where life imprisonment is granted.

Critics and international observers note that the law effectively targets Palestinians while protecting Israeli citizens. Because the law applies to cases judged in military courts and requires the motive to be the denial of the existence of the State of Israel, Jewish extremists are unlikely to be affected. Israeli settlers in the West Bank are judged under civil law rather than military law. Amnesty International has cited this disparity as evidence of an apartheid system in the West Bank, a claim that Tel Aviv denies by stating that differences in treatment are based on legitimate security concerns and nationality rather than race.

Ben-Gvir has a history of extremist rhetoric and has been sanctioned by several countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. He recently suggested in a podcast that Israel should carry out 30 to 40 targeted killings per night in Gaza, stating that some people there do not deserve to live and are not human. These comments were condemned by the UN Secretary General and leaders from Germany and France. The current timing of the video is seen as part of an election campaign, as Israel is scheduled to hold general elections on October 27.

Historically, the death penalty is legal in Israel but rarely used. Only two people have been executed in the state's history: Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962 and a soldier accused of treason in 1948.