Israeli lawmakers set up tribunal, allow for death penalty for October 2023 attackers
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- Israeli lawmakers unanimously passed a bill establishing a special tribunal with the power to sentence Palestinians to death for involvement in the 2023 Hamas-led attack that triggered the Gaza war, with a 93-0 vote in the 120-seat Knesset.
- The tribunal's proceedings will be livestreamed from Jerusalem, and death sentences can be handed down by a majority vote of judges, drawing comparisons to the 1962 trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
- Critics, including rights groups, argue the bill undermines fair trial safeguards, risks turning trials into spectacles, and may rely on evidence obtained through harsh interrogation methods.
- The war began with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages, followed by an Israeli offensive in Gaza that has resulted in over 72,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza Health Ministry figures.
- The bill is distinct from a March law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, which is not retroactive and has faced international condemnation for being discriminatory.