The Israeli Knesset National Security Committee advances a bill to introduce the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners.

The bill could have its first reading in the Knesset plenum as soon as Wednesday, Hebrew-language media reports.

The controversial legislation stipulates that courts will be able to impose the death penalty on those “who have committed a nationalistically motivated murder of a citizen of Israel.”

It would not apply to an Israeli who killed a Palestinian.

Israeli government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch told the committee that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the bill.

“The prime minister’s position, and I spoke with him before the debate, is for the bill,” Hirsch told the panel.

Hirsch has previously said that he opposed the bill while there were living hostages in Gaza, but told the committee that “now they have all been returned, he too is lifting his opposition.”

So-called National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir thanked the premier for supporting the bill, but said that the courts should not have discretion in the matter.

“I thank the prime minister for his support for Otzma Yehudit’s bill for the death penalty for terrorists, but the court must not have any discretion – every terrorist who goes out to murder must know that the death penalty will be imposed on him. It’s time for justice!,” the leader of the far-right party leader wrote on X.

Source: Israeli media