The Knesset approved the first readings of two controversial bills: one would extend the death penalty to convicted "terrorists" and nationalistically motivated murderers, and the other would let the government close foreign media outlets without judicial oversight. The death-penalty bill, backed by Itamar Ben Gvir, passed 39–16 and would change West Bank military-court rules to allow majority votes and bar extenuating circumstances. Critics — including U.N. experts and Reporters Without Borders — warn the measures threaten due process and press independence and may prompt legal and diplomatic fallout.
Knesset Advances Controversial Death-Penalty Expansion and Law Allowing Shutdown of Foreign Media
The Knesset approved the first readings of two controversial bills: one would extend the death penalty to convicted "terrorists" and nationalistically motivated murderers, and the other would let the government close foreign media outlets without judicial oversight. The death-penalty bill, backed by Itamar Ben Gvir, passed 39–16 and would change West Bank military-court rules to allow majority votes and bar extenuating circumstances. Critics — including U.N. experts and Reporters Without Borders — warn the measures threaten due process and press independence and may prompt legal and diplomatic fallout.
03:45 PM, 11/11/2025Politics
Knesset approves first readings of two divisive bills
Israel's parliament on Monday approved the first readings of two highly contentious measures: one that would broaden the use of the death penalty to include convicted "terrorists" and people convicted of nationalistically motivated murder, and a second that would permit the government to close foreign media outlets without a court order.
The death-penalty expansion, driven by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, passed its first reading by 39 votes to 16. The bill now goes to a parliamentary committee for further drafting and debate before the required second and third readings. Ben Gvir has argued the measure would "create substantial deterrence" against terror attacks and warned he would pull his party from the governing coalition if the proposal were not brought to a vote.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially opposed the change, citing fears it could endanger Israeli hostages in Gaza through retaliatory acts. Following the implementation of a fragile ceasefire, he reversed his position and allowed the bill to proceed.
Under current Israeli law, the death penalty is permitted only in exceptional cases — for example, treason or the Nazi-era war crimes addressed in the 1962 Eichmann trial — and has not been used in decades. The only person ever executed in Israel was Adolf Eichmann, a chief organizer of the Holocaust, who was captured in Argentina, tried in a landmark case and hanged in 1962.
Changes to military courts in the West Bank
The bill would also amend military-courts law that applies in the occupied West Bank: it would allow panels in those courts to impose capital sentences by a simple majority of judges rather than the current requirement for unanimity, and it would prohibit consideration of extenuating circumstances at sentencing. Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to military law, while Israeli settlers there fall under Israeli civilian law.
United Nations bodies and rights organizations have long criticized Israel’s military courts in the occupied West Bank. The U.N. has said that "Palestinians’ right to due process guarantees have been violated" for decades and denounced the "lack of fair trial in the occupied West Bank." U.N. experts noted last year that in the West Bank "the functions of police, investigator, prosecutor, and judge are vested in the same hierarchical institution — the Israeli military." Critics warn the proposed amendments would further erode due-process protections and raise legal and diplomatic risks.
Foreign-media bill — formalizing the so-called "Al Jazeera Law"
In the same Knesset session lawmakers approved the first reading of a separate bill that would allow the government to shut down foreign media outlets without a court order. The draft legislation, introduced by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner and supported by Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, seeks to formalize powers previously used by the Communications Ministry when it shuttered Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel in 2024. The ministry had accused the Qatari network of anti-Israel bias and of supporting Hamas through its coverage of the Gaza war; Al Jazeera has denied those claims and condemned its closure.
The proposed law would make such powers permanent, allow government action outside wartime or declared emergencies, and remove the requirement for judicial oversight. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the measure as "the first nail in the coffin of broadcast media’s editorial independence in Israel." RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé warned that, amid war and an election campaign, the law risks silencing critical voices and would have lasting negative consequences for Israel’s media landscape.
Key next steps: Both bills must complete committee drafting and win second and third readings in the Knesset before they become law. They are likely to provoke continued legal challenges, domestic protests and international scrutiny.
These measures amplify already intense debates in Israel about national security, judicial oversight and press freedom. Rights groups, the U.N. and media organizations say the bills risk undermining due process and media independence, while supporters argue they are necessary responses to terrorism and perceived hostile coverage during wartime.