Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has released a video gloating about the construction of a gallows complex where Palestinians convicted of terrorist crimes will be hanged, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes. Ben-Givr, who has previously been the subject of international sanctions and condemnation for his activities, said the new execution site would be equipped with observation booths so that victims’ families could watch the hangings. He posted the video on social media of a visit he had made to the At an unidentified location, he can be seen pointing to the foundations being laid and boasting that it is where “terrorists will be executed.” Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday with a rope-themed cake. Photograph: XPhotographs in Israeli media showed an excavator and heavy construction work in a cordoned off area, supposedly near a prison. “I promised to worsen the conditions of terrorists in prisons; we delivered,” Ben-Gvir said in the video. “I promised to pass the death penalty law for terrorists, and we did it. And now the death row and the hanging place are also starting to take shape.” The law requires military courts to apply the death penalty as the only sentence available, unless the court finds special circumstances that allow life imprisonment. Israeli Jews are in fact protected from the death penalty by a provision that applies the law only to murder committed with the “intent of denying the existence of the State of Israel.” Ben-Gvir, who has convictions for inciting racism, interfering with a police officer’s performance of duty and supporting a terrorist organization (Meir Kahane’s banned Kach movement), has served as Israel’s national security minister since 2022, except for a two-month gap last year. Ben-Gvir, one of the main proponents of Israel’s new death penalty law, has a long history of extremist statements and provocations. He celebrated his 50th birthday in May with the gift of a birthday cake decorated with the frosted image of a noose. The death penalty law, one of two passed by Israeli parliamentarians this year, has drawn widespread international condemnation since it was approved by the Knesset by a 62-48 vote over accusations that it is fundamentally discriminatory. apartheid, which is maintained by dozens of discriminatory laws against Palestinians,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director at Amnesty International, when the law was passed. In recent months, Ben-Gvir has become the target of sanctions from France and Ireland, in addition to sanctions imposed on him by the United Kingdom last year, and attracted widespread criticism just a few days ago for advocating a policy of punitive killings in Gaza of 30 to 40 people a night. 40 targeted killings per night,” Ben-Gvir said. “Not just those who pose an immediate threat. There are people who don’t deserve to live… They’re not even people.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday called Ben-Gvir’s comments “unacceptable and inhumane,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he strongly condemned “the inhumane calls made by Minister Ben-Gvir, which violate international law.” “appalling”, “scandalous”, “dehumanizing” and “dangerous”. The video emerged amid growing international condemnation of Israel’s behavior, including the publication of new tenders for the huge E1 settlement bloc on the outskirts of Jerusalem, which was denounced by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband as an “unacceptable and destructive act” that threatened to separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem. He summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in protest. “The UK has been clear privately and publicly in our opposition to the E1 and our support for a two-state solution as the only way to ensure long-term security and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis,” Miliband said. “All settlements harm that prospect and are a flagrant violation of international law.”
