Israeli Minister Boasts About Building Gallows for Palestinians

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has released a video showing the construction of gallows intended for the execution of convicted Palestinians. The footage, filmed at an undisclosed location, shows the minister pointing to a foundation being laid as he declares that "terrorists will be executed here." According to him, the complex will include viewing platforms for relatives of terror victims, from which they will be able to watch the hangings take place.

The construction follows this year's passage of a law mandating the death penalty for terrorists. Under the legislation, military courts are required to sentence Palestinians convicted of terrorism to death, with life imprisonment permitted only if the court finds exceptional circumstances in the case. To prevent the law from being applied to Jewish extremists, the text specifies that it applies only to killings "committed with the aim of denying the existence of the State of Israel."

The Minister's Controversial Record

Ben-Gvir has been one of the law's chief proponents, and its passage triggered a wave of international criticism. "I promised we would toughen conditions for terrorists in prison — and we did. I promised to pass a death penalty law for terrorists — and we passed it. And now a death row and an execution site for hangings are starting to appear here," Ben-Gvir said in the video.

The minister himself has previously been convicted of incitement to racism, obstructing a police officer, and supporting a terrorist organization — the Kach movement. Ben-Gvir is known for extremist statements and provocations, including a recent incursion onto the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where he prayed in violation of the long-standing understanding that only Muslims may pray at Islam's holiest site.

Sanctions and a Fresh Scandal

The minister's conduct regularly draws international condemnation. France and Ireland imposed sanctions on Ben-Gvir after a video surfaced in the spring showing him humiliating detained Western activists who had taken part in a humanitarian flotilla to the Gaza Strip. The United Kingdom had already sanctioned him a year earlier.

Ben-Gvir sparked yet another wave of outrage just days ago by calling for 30 to 40 Palestinians in Gaza to be killed every day. "I think every night we should carry out thirty to forty targeted killings. And not just of those who pose an immediate threat. There are people there who don't deserve to live… They're not even human," the minister said.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz