JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli media reported Tuesday that a controversial bill in the Knesset would allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners by hanging, contradicting earlier parliamentary statements that described lethal injection as the intended method.

Haaretz newspaper said the proposed legislation explicitly states that the death sentence would be carried out by hanging, with the execution performed by a specially appointed prison officer.

The bill was introduced by far-right lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and has now reached its second and third readings, fueling sharp debate across Israel’s political landscape.

No timetable has yet been set for the final vote.

According to Haaretz, the legislation grants the Israel Prison Service commissioner the authority to appoint the officer tasked with carrying out executions. The process would be overseen by the prison warden, a judicial representative, and a member of the prisoner’s family.

The draft law further allows executions to proceed even in the absence of some of those individuals, citing the need to avoid delays.

Under the proposal, prison officials and state authorities involved in enforcing death sentences would be granted full civil and criminal immunity. Details of executions would be published on the Israel Prison Service’s website, while the identities of those carrying out the sentence would remain confidential.

The bill also prohibits any commutation, appeal, or cancellation once a death sentence is issued. Prisoners sentenced to death would be held in complete isolation, with visits restricted exclusively to authorized personnel.

In addition, the legislation permits death sentences to be imposed without a request from the attorney general. Trials would be conducted before military judges holding the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher, and executions would be carried out within 90 days of a final ruling.

The reported method of execution by hanging stands in direct contrast to a statement published by the Knesset on the US social media platform X on Nov. 19 last year, which said executions would be carried out via lethal injection.

According to provisions previously published by the Knesset, the bill is framed as an enforceable legal tool mandating capital punishment for anyone who kills a Jew “solely because they are Jewish,” including those involved in planning or carrying out such acts.

The Knesset approved the bill in a first reading on Nov. 11 by a vote of 39 out of 120 lawmakers, with 16 voting against, according to Israel’s public broadcaster.

Ben-Gvir has repeatedly pushed for the execution of Palestinian prisoners and has overseen sweeping restrictions on their detention conditions, amid growing reports of abuse and the denial of basic rights.

Israel has sharply escalated its violations against Palestinian detainees, particularly those from Gaza, since the start of the war, including starvation, torture, sexual violence and systematic denial of medical care, rights groups said.

Israel has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.