Dawn
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15:00 Nov 11, 2025
The Israeli parliament has advanced a bill that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of killing Israeli citizens, with some lawmakers believing it would prevent future prisoner-release deals. In a vote held late on Monday — the first of four needed for the measure to become law — the bill passed with 39 in favour and 16 against, out of 120 lawmakers. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had called on all political factions to back the bill, which he has said was aimed at creating deterrence against “Arab terrorism”. “This is how we fight terror; this is how we create deterrence,” he said in a statement after the initial vote. “Once the law is finally passed — terrorists will be released only to hell.” Some parties boycotted Monday’s vote The bill will now move to a parliamentary committee for further debate before a second and third vote. It is not guaranteed that it will become law, with several key political parties having boycotted Monday’s initial vote. Opposition lea...