Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has attracted international sanctions and condemnation for his activities, has posted a gloating video of the construction of the site of a gallows where Palestinians convicted of terror offences, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes, will be hanged.
Ben-Givr said the new execution site would be equipped with viewing booths where families of victims could watch the hangings.
Ben-Gvir posted the video on social media of a visit he had made to the site at an unidentified location, where he can be seen pointing at foundations being laid and boasting it was where “terrorists will be executed”.
Photographs in the Israeli media showed a bulldozer and heavy construction work in a cordoned-off area reportedly close to a prison.
“I promised to worsen the conditions of terrorists in prisons – we kept it,” said Ben-Gvir in the video. “I promised to pass the Death Penalty for Terrorists law – we did. And now the death row and hanging facility are also starting to take shape.”
The claimed construction work at the planned site of the gallows, which will only execute Palestinians convicted of terror offences in the military courts system, and not Israelis, follows the passage into law earlier this year of a death penalty law requiring military courts to apply the death penalty alone as the only available sentence, unless the court finds special circumstances allowing for life imprisonment.
Ben-Gvir – who himself has convictions for incitement to racism, interfering with a police officer performing his duty, and support for a terrorist organisation, Meir Kahane’s banned Kach movement – has served as Israel’s national security minister since ۲۰۲۲, except for a two-month gap last year.
One of the key architects of Israel’s new death penalty law, Ben-Gvir has a long history of extremist statements and provocations. He celebrated his ۵۰th birthday in May with the gift of a birthday cake decorated with the iced image of a noose.
The death penalty law, one of two passed by Israeli MPs this year, has faced widespread international condemnation since it passed the Knesset by ۶۲ votes to ۴۸ over allegations that it is fundamentally discriminatory.
“It also dismantles fundamental safeguards to prevent the arbitrary deprivation of life and protect the right to a fair trial, and further empowers Israel’s system of apartheid, which is maintained by scores of discriminatory laws against Palestinians,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, a senior director at Amnesty International, when the law was passed.
Ben-Gvir in recent months became the subject of sanctions by France and Ireland in addition to UK sanctions imposed on him last year, attracted widespread criticism only days ago for advocating a policy of punitive killings in Gaza of ۳۰-۴۰ people nightly.
“I think we should be doing ۳۰ to ۴۰ targeted assassinations per night,” Ben-Gvir said. “Not just those who pose an immediate threat. There are people there who don’t deserve to live … They are not even people.”
The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Wednesday described Ben-Gvir’s comments as “unacceptable and inhuman”, while the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he “strongly condemns the inhumane appeals made by minister Ben-Gvir, which violate international law”.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, echoed the remarks, calling Ben-Gvir’s comments “appalling”, “outrageous”, “dehumanising” and “dangerous”.
The video emerged amid growing wider international condemnation of Israel’s behaviour including the issuing of new tenders for the massive E۱ settlement block outside Jerusalem, which was denounced by the UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, as an “unacceptable and destructive act” that risked separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem as he summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires in protest.
“The UK has been clear privately and publicly in our opposition to E۱ 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 damage that prospect and are a flagrant breach of international law.”
