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The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing “deep concern” over Israel’s legislative move to expand the use of the death penalty.
The European powers warned that the proposed bill, scheduled for a final vote in the Knesset this week, could undermine Israel’s democratic commitments.
This diplomatic pushback was echoed by the Council of Europe, which described the draft law as a grave step backwards from Israel’s long-standing policy of judicial restraint.
The controversial amendment, championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, seeks to introduce mandatory death sentences for specific offences.
Critics, including UN rights experts, have raised alarms over the bill’s “de facto discriminatory” nature. Under the proposal, certain acts in the West Bank could face capital punishment via military courts even without the intent to kill.
At the same time, cases in Israel and East Jerusalem would remain under a different legal standard specifically protecting Israeli citizens and residents.
While the death penalty is technically legal in Israel for extraordinary crimes, the country has not executed anyone since 1962.
If the bill passes its second and third readings on Monday, it is expected to face immediate legal challenges in the Supreme Court.
International rights bodies continue to urge Israeli authorities to maintain their decades-long moratorium, arguing that removing judicial discretion prevents courts from considering individual mitigating factors and ensuring proportionate sentencing.
