Knesset approves death penalty for Palestinians guilty of murdering Israelis

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The Israeli parliament has passed a law that makes death by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians convicted of deadly terror attacks. It requires execution within 90 days of sentencing, although the prime minister can request a delay of up to 180 days. Israeli Jews could theoretically face capital punishment, but this is unlikely. Within the civil court system, the new law imposes the death penalty for attacks carried out with the aim of “negating the existence of the state of Israel”. It also requires military courts in the occupied West Bank to demand capital punishment when terror attacks kill people. These courts exclusively try Palestinians, not Israeli settlers. According to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, they have a conviction rate of 96% and extract confessions “under duress and torture”.