Minutes after the tense Knesset plenary session ended and the death penalty for terrorists was put into law, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and members of his Otzma Yehudit party set out to celebrate their success.
In the distributed footage, Minister Ben Gvir is seen raising a toast with MKs from his party, in a show of satisfaction with the key legislative achievement they promoted.
During the toast, Ben-Gvir proclaimed: "May we execute as many terrorists as possible."
The law, which passed with a majority of 62 yeas to 48 nays, states that the death penalty will become an applied punitive means. In Judea and Samaria, it will be the "default" sentence for murder offenses under terrorist circumstances. The approval paves the path for a punishment that has not been used in Israel since the execution of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
It was also determined that no option for pardon or sentence reduction will be granted, and that the sentence will be carried out by hanging within 90 days from the point it becomes final. The prime minister will be able to request a temporary stay of execution in special cases for a limited period.
The law also includes related amendments, among them a ban on releasing terrorists sentenced to death, regulation of their prison conditions, and granting victims the right to be informed of the execution date.
The explanatory notes to the bill state that its purpose is to increase deterrence, amid assessments that life imprisonment does not sufficiently deter terrorists, partly due to the possibility of release in future deals.