Israel's Itamar Ben-Gvir showcases gallows construction site for executing Palestinians

Aug 19, 2026

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has sparked severe international and domestic backlash after posting a video of a gallows facility under construction in central Israel. The site, which includes viewing booths for victims' families, implements a controversial death penalty law passed in March 2026. Critics condemn the law as discriminatory because its provisions target Palestinians in military courts while effectively exempting Israeli citizens. Despite global condemnation and calls for EU sanctions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained silent.

Ben-Gvir gallows construction announcement

▪Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media showing the construction of a gallows facility to execute Palestinian prisoners sentenced to death.
▪The gallows facility is under construction at an undisclosed location in central Israel, reportedly near a maximum-security prison complex.

Death penalty law provisions

▪Prior to the 2026 legislation, the death penalty had been carried out only once in Israeli history, with the 1962 execution of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
▪Israel's Knesset approved legislation in March 2026 that expands the use of the death penalty by hanging for individuals convicted of fatal terrorism-related offenses.
▪The death penalty law requires military courts to apply the death penalty as the default sentence for fatal terror offenses unless judges find special circumstances allowing for life imprisonment.

Discriminatory application to Palestinians

▪The death penalty law applies to trials in military courts, which try Palestinians, while Israeli citizens are tried in civilian courts and are effectively excluded from the law.
▪The death penalty law excludes Israeli citizens through a provision that applies the sentence only to murders committed with the intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.

Viewing booths for victims' families

▪Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, criticized the inclusion of viewing booths and warned that the death penalty law weakens fair-trial protections.
▪Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that the under-construction gallows facility will include viewing chambers where relatives of terror victims can watch executions.

International criticism of executions

▪Several European countries have discussed imposing EU-wide sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir, though the proposal has failed to win the required unanimous support of all 27 member states.
▪United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned Itamar Ben-Gvir's separate calls to kill 30 to 40 people in Gaza daily.

Domestic political backlash

▪An op-ed in the Jerusalem Post criticized Itamar Ben-Gvir's gallows video, stating that the public celebration of executions hands ammunition to Israel's enemies.
▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained silent and refused to remove Itamar Ben-Gvir from office despite international backlash over the gallows video and extremist rhetoric.