Knesset approves plan for livestreamed trials in military court, drawing comparisons to 1962 Adolf Eichmann trial
Israeli lawmakers have approved setting up a livestreamed special tribunal with the power to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of taking part in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza.
The measure was passed by 93 votes to none in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament, reflecting widespread support among Israel’s Jewish majority for punishing those found responsible for the deadliest single attack in Israel’s history. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting.
The bill is separate from a law passed in March that approved use of the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a measure harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane.
The October 2023 attack, led by elite “Nukhba” force fighters of Hamas, was the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. At least 1,200 people were killed, the majority of them civilians.
