JERUSALEM, Palestine 

The approval of a law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners reflects the dominance of the far right in Israel, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Wednesday, suggesting the Supreme Court is likely to overturn it.

The newspaper said the Knesset’s approval of the law on Monday shows how what it described as a “Kahanist revolution” has taken over Israeli society.

“Kahanism” in Israel refers to an extremist right-wing ideology attributed to Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach movement was designated as a terrorist organization in 1994 due to its calls and activities involving the killing and expulsion of Palestinians.

Haaretz described the law as “a clear populist tool serving (far-right National Security Minister) Itamar Ben Gvir.”

It added: “The Supreme Court is likely to strike down this law, which was designed to be used against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.”

The newspaper said the move was crafted to give Ben Gvir a “double victory,” enabling him to demonstrate power within the ruling coalition while gaining new grounds to attack the Supreme Court.

It added that despite the low likelihood of the law being implemented, “it is impossible to underestimate the enormous damage it will cause,” describing its passage backed by the ruling coalition and the opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu as a milestone in the "Kahanist revolution" sweeping Israel’s right-wing and broader society.

The report noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the Knesset session to vote on the bill, despite opposition from the entire military establishment.

He was joined by officials, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

Haaretz said: “Out of hypocrisy and fear of losing young voters,” Netanyahu and Deri placed themselves “above the extremists.”

It added that the vote not only marked a “moral decline” but also solidified a new far-right leader, Itamar Ben Gevir, who has transformed himself “from a marginal criminal into a shaper of far-right ideology.”

The newspaper warned that this ideology promotes the use of force, combined with “sadism, brutality and anarchy” that could undermine democratic institutions.

It further said Kahanism feeds a “horrifying paradox,” creating a vicious cycle in which escalating violence makes life unbearable while offering only more force and violence as a supposed solution.

The paper also noted that Ben Gvir and his allies had been wearing pins shaped like a noose, calling it a “symbol of the future” within Kahanist circles and a “vulgar celebration of death.”

The law passed by the Knesset provides for executions by hanging to be carried out by guards appointed by the Israeli Prison Service, granting them anonymity and legal immunity.

It allows death sentences to be issued without a request from the prosecution and without requiring unanimity, as decisions can be taken by a simple majority.

The legislation also applies to military courts handling Palestinian cases in the occupied West Bank, with the defense minister given the right to present an opinion before the court.

The law has faced domestic criticism, with around 1,200 Israeli figures, including Nobel laureates, former military officials, and former Supreme Court judges, strongly opposing it in February and describing it as a “moral stain.”

More than 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including 350 children and 73 women, and they face torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups, leading to the deaths of dozens.

Since October 2023, Israel has intensified measures against Palestinian prisoners alongside its two-year war on Gaza, which has left more than 72,000 people dead and 172,000 injured, most of them women and children.

*Writing by Khaled Badr in Istanbul