Israeli MPs back special tribunal with death penalty powers for alleged 7 October attackers
Summary
Israeli lawmakers voted to create a special tribunal that can livestream trials and impose the death penalty on Palestinians accused of involvement in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. This tribunal operates under a 1950 law related to genocide prevention and is separate from earlier laws allowing the death penalty for murdering Israelis.Key Facts
- The new tribunal will try Palestinians suspected of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attack.
- The vote passed unanimously among those present, with 93 in favor and 27 absent or abstaining.
- The tribunal can impose the death penalty, which Israel rarely uses and last did in 1962.
- Trials will be livestreamed and held in Jerusalem, aiming for transparency but raising concerns about fairness and making trials a public spectacle.
- Defendants can appeal, but appeals go to a special court, not regular courts.
- Human rights groups warn the law could make it easier to apply the death penalty and may bypass fair trial protections.
- The bill compares Hamas to Nazis and refers to the historic Eichmann trial, which is controversial.
- Hamas criticized the law, saying it justifies Israeli actions in Gaza.
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