Death of Justice: Ben-Gvir’s Law of Killing Prisoners

In its history, Israel has only executed people twice. It inherited this law—which carried the death sentence for crimes of genocide—from the British Mandate over Palestine. But Israel outlawed the death penalty as a legal option in 1954. As a result, it has only carried out the death sentence twice, the first time being in 1948 when Israel put an Israeli army officer to death. "Meir Tobiansky," who was found criminal by an Israeli court, was put to death by firing squad before being posthumously cleared. The second execution took place in 1962 when "Adolf Eichmann" was put to death following his conviction for Nazi war crimes connected to the "Holocaust." Despite these two killings, the history of the Israeli occupation makes no mention of the death sentence, indicating that it has long since been outlawed.

The New Legislation

Itamar Ben-Gvir is deluding himself that he has made history. The Zionist occupation's implementation of the death sentence statute for Palestinian prisoners is a moral and humanitarian crisis rather than just a piece of political legislation. How an emergency occupying state can turn Palestinian lives into prescribed death sentences is an important question. In this case, it's not just about the death of bodies; it's also about the death of justice itself, the death of human promises that transcend political disputes, and the moral meaning that controls human relationships and their right to life and self-determination.

Death to the human promises that survive above political disagreements. Ben Gvir is asked to die, and the Palestinian prisoner wants existence and freedom. This paradox represents a never-ending conflict between the will to live and the drive to rule, between the project of freedom and the project of oppression, and between the collective awareness of the right to exist and Israeli legislation, which treats every human being like a case or a statistic. Because of the law's demonization of the occupation, the Palestinian prisoner has lost his humanity.

He exploited his position as "Minister of National Security" over the Israeli police, turning it from a police force into a border guard and what the Israeli opposition referred to as "Ben Gvir's private army." All of this occurred after he was granted total control. Furthermore, this law gives the government and the Minister of National Security complete control over the police force, enabling him to establish the boundaries.

International Reactions

Champagne celebration upon the imposition of the death punishment. Ben Gvir joyfully says, "We have made history," as the announcement of the death penalty's impending implementation is greeted with hugs and celebration for the victory of injustice and a bottle of champagne inside the Israeli Knesset. It's the moment he's been fighting almost 3 years, and his dream has finally come true. It's a legislated law, a public demonstration of bigotry and brutality, and a total disregard for the law.

On March 30, 2026, an unfair ruling was made against the inmates, and the punishment would be hanging. The United Nations reported that 75 Palestinians had died in Israeli prisons since October 2023 following the vote, which was 62% in favor and 48% against. Amnesty International and the European Union had threatened to suspend all international agreements if Israel did not reverse the decision.

Approximately 21,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli authorities since then; 9,100 of them are still incarcerated, including 3,500 under administrative detention without charges or a set release date and roughly 1,000 inmates without even an administrative detention order. The "Prisoners Union" claims that because the issue entails depriving inmates of fundamental rights including the right to life, the right to self-determination, and the right to be free from torture, it is a blow to regional stability.

Opposing voices did exist, though, including those of the "There is a Future" party. Notwithstanding the voices of opposition to the death penalty decision, it appears that this decision will come to pass because the law allows the court to impose the death penalty on anyone who commits murder against Israeli citizens on a nationalistic basis. Additionally, opposition figure "Miki Levy," who criticized the new law that turned the police into political police, considered this to be contrary to the Israeli system. Despite requests from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay or postpone the decision, Ben Gvir has made it apparent that he is determined to move forward with the judgment.

Israelis from centrist and leftist parties supported the Palestinians when they realized that Ben Gvir's determination to execute Palestinian detainees was a threat to democracy. The Knesset's decision led to Ben Gvir's unchecked power expansion. Ben Gvir's approval of the death penalty for Palestinian inmates was not the end of the issue; there is also an unquenchable desire to harass and bother everything Palestinian. When Israelis from centrist and leftist parties understood that Ben Gvir's desire to execute Palestinian inmates posed a threat to democracy, they unsuccessfully attempted to halt the execution and sided with the Palestinians. The Knesset's choice resulted in Ben Gvir's unbridled rise to power. Ben Gvir's endorsement of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners did not resolve the problem; there is still an insatiable drive to enrage and disturb all things Palestinian.

Humanitarian Consequences

All of these efforts are now readily apparent; what was before concealed is now visible. Legal actions have been taken against starvation, medical negligence, and extended torture-based questioning. In Israel, the death penalty for inmates is now a recognized and accepted legal punishment.

This paradox represents a never-ending conflict between the will to live and the drive to rule, between the project of freedom and the project of oppression, and between the collective awareness of the right to exist and Israeli legislation, which treats every human being like a case or a statistic.

The death penalty is not in force and is not applied; however, the insistence of Itamar Ben-Gvir on moving forward has turned it into a reality and an enforceable decision. Although this law has passed almost unnoticed in the history of Israel only twice, it is therefore an arbitrary decision. There is nothing in Israeli law at the present time that provides for the death penalty. So why is such a law being legislated for what is called the Israeli Minister of Security at the expense of the rightful owner?

The consequences of this decision indicate the occupier’s blatant and clearly racist conduct, which aims to deprive the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination and to attain their freedom.