A bill to introduce capital punishment for terrorists convicted of murdering Israeli citizens is set for a contentious vote in the Knesset this week, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s endorsement on Monday.

The proposed legislation would empower judges to impose the death penalty on terrorists who murder Israelis with the intent to harm the state and the Jewish people. The bill could come up for debate as early as Wednesday, the first of three discussion sessions before it can be voted into law. 

Under current Israeli law, capital punishment is reserved exclusively for extraordinary offenses such as treason, genocide, and crimes against humanity — not ordinary crimes. The state has carried out only one legal execution in its history, when Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was hanged in 1962. 

The bill was advanced with the backing of Israel’s national coordinator for the hostages and the missing, Gal Hirsch, who stated that Mr. Netanyahu had reversed his position and now supports the proposed law. 

Mr. Hirsch, representing the stance of the prime minister, had opposed the measure when it was brought before the committee in September. He expressed concern that the legislation could jeopardize negotiations with Hamas to return the living hostages held in Gaza at the time. 

However, with all remaining living hostages now returned to Israel, Mr. Hirsch told the National Security Committee on Monday that “we are in a different situation today” and that his previous objections have “become redundant.” He characterized the potential law as “another tool in the fight against terrorism.”

Still, Mr. Hirsch requested an amendment that would allow his office as well as Israel’s security establishment to submit a confidential report to the court before any capital punishment ruling.

The bill is championed by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party, who has long pushed for capital punishment. Mr. Ben-Gvir maintains that his party secured a coalition agreement in 2022 with Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party that committed to advancing such legislation.

Mr. Ben-Gvir expressed his disagreement with Mr. Hirsch’s proposed amendment, arguing that judicial discretion would “weaken” the law’s “deterrent effect.” “Every terrorist who goes out to kill must know they will face only one punishment — the death penalty,” he said. 

Mr. Ben-Givr’s fellow Otzma Yehudit member, Limor Son Har-Melech, who introduced the bill, called the vote a “historic moment” and “an important first step toward real deterrence and justice for the victims.”

Ms. Har-Melech’s support for the legislation carries personal weight. Her husband was killed in a terror attack in the West Bank, and one of his attackers was released from prison during the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011. The terrorist returned to Gaza, where he continued to oversee Hamas’s operations in the West Bank. 

“A dead terrorist does not strike again,” Ms. Har-Melech said. “He does not leave prison, he is not released in deals, and does not become a danger to our people again.”

The bill still has a ways to go. After the first reading vote, it will be returned to the committee for revision. The draft will then have to pass a second and a third reading by the full Knesset in order to become law.