Khaberni - Israeli media sources said that on Monday, the Knesset will present the "Capital Punishment of Palestinian Prisoners" bill for a vote in its first reading.
The Knesset's "Security" committee approved on the third of this month to present a bill that allows for the execution of prisoners for a vote in front of the general assembly of the Knesset, a move that has caused a widespread wave of condemnation both locally and internationally.
This development comes amid pressures exerted by the extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened that his party "Otzma Yehudit" would not vote in favor of the governing coalition's legislative proposals if the execution law is not introduced within the next three weeks.
The law is part of the agreements signed to form the governmental coalition led by the "Likud" party head Benjamin Netanyahu and "Jewish Power" head, Itamar Ben-Gvir, at the end of 2022.
The Capital Punishment of Prisoners bill is not new, as it has been introduced repeatedly over the past years, most recently in 2022 when the extremist minister Ben-Gvir reintroduced it with a series of amendments, until it was approved by the Knesset in a preliminary reading in March 2023.
The bill stipulates "to impose the death penalty on every person who intentionally or due to negligence causes the death of an Israeli citizen driven by racial motives or hatred to harm Israel".
Passing the law in its first reading will allow its continued advancement in the next Knesset, even if it is not completed during the current session.
The legislation process in Israel involves several stages, starting with the drafting of a bill by a Knesset member or a governmental committee, as explained on the Knesset's website.
In a specially convened meeting, the Knesset's presidency approves the legislative proposals that reach it and are introduced on the same day to the general assembly of the Knesset for approval in the preliminary reading, where they are deliberated and it is decided whether they will be approved or not, then passed to a parliamentary committee to discuss the proposal in preparation for the first reading.
If the proposed laws are government-initiated and not by a Knesset member, as in the case of the execution law, or by the committees of the Knesset, they do not undergo preliminary deliberations and start from the first reading stage, and the proposals for laws for the first reading are published in an official newsletter, then voted on for rejection or subjected to further deliberation.
If the proposal passes the approval in the first reading, it is passed to one of the specialized committees in the Knesset to prepare it for the second and third readings, and after the committee completes its deliberations, the laws undergo additional deliberations in the general assembly, followed by the voting in the second and third readings.
After the proposal is approved in the three readings, it becomes part of the law book of the State of Israel, is published in "the records" after being officially formulated and becomes effective.
