Israeli Group Challenges Death Penalty Law for Palestinians

A leading Israeli human rights organisation, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), has filed a petition with the country’s Supreme Court seeking the annulment of a newly approved law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out terror attacks.

ACRI said in a statement that it had approached the High Court of Justice shortly after the Knesset passed the legislation on Monday.

“The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition today to the High Court of Justice, demanding the annulment of the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, enacted by the Knesset today, March 30, 2026.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, center, the national security minister, and other Israeli hard-liners had campaigned on a promise to execute Palestinian militants. Credit: New York Times.

According to the group, the law, which permits capital punishment in cases classified as terrorist attacks, should be struck down on legal and constitutional grounds.

It argued that the Israeli parliament lacks jurisdiction to legislate for the occupied West Bank, stating that Israel does not hold sovereignty over the territory.

The organisation further described the law as unconstitutional, saying it violates fundamental rights, including the right to life, human dignity, due process, and equality, as protected under Israel’s Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.