Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a video showcasing the ongoing construction of a gallows and viewing booth facility within a prison wing in central Israel. The site is designated for hanging Palestinians convicted of terror-related offenses under a new law passed earlier this year.
The video shows Ben-Gvir touring the cordoned-off construction area, declaring that the facility will feature execution chambers and dedicated viewing areas for the families of victims to witness the hangings.
Key Context & Legislative Details
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Discriminatory Scope: The Death Penalty for Terrorists Law—passed by the Knesset in March 2026—mandates death by hanging as the default sentence for “terrorism-related” intentional killings. The law explicitly excludes Israeli citizens and applies primarily to military courts governing Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, or to civilian cases involving the goal of “negating the existence of the State of Israel.”
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Ministerial Campaign: Ben-Gvir, leader of the Otzma Yehudit party, championed the death penalty bill and has repeatedly advocated for harsher prison conditions, including reduced rations and solitary confinement for Palestinian detainees.
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Legal and Human Rights Backlash: The law and gallows construction have drawn strong condemnation from international bodies, human rights organizations (including Amnesty International), and Israeli-Arab lawmakers, who filed petitions in the High Court of Justice challenging the statute as unconstitutional, discriminatory, and a violation of international law.
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Historical Precedent: Capital punishment has been executed only twice in Israel’s history: once in 1948 (against Meir Tobianski, later exonerated) and once in 1962 (against Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann).
