Israeli lawmakers have voted in favor of a bill that would impose the death penalty on so-called “terrorists” accusing of killing Israelis. Backed by rightwing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hardline allies, the bill has been bitterly opposed by Palestinians and foreign observers.
The death penalty bill passed its first reading in the Israeli parliament (Knesset) by 55 votes to nine on Wednesday. Most of the opposition – led by former Prime Minister Yair Lapid – abstained from the vote in protest.
The bill was authored by MP Limor Son Har-Melech and supported by Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Both Son Har-Melech and Ben-Gvir are members of the ‘Jewish Power’ party, an extremist Zionist faction that helped Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party back into power in last November’s elections.
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The Free 