Ben Gvir Urges Execution of Palestinian Detainees

By Staff, Agencies

"Israeli" minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir called for the execution of Palestinian inmates in "Israeli" prisons and detention centers, as he stood beside a row of Palestinian detainees being abused while lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.

In footage shared on his personal Telegram channel on Friday, Ben-Gvir addresses the camera while pointing at a dozen detainees faced down in front of an "Israeli" flag.

The "Israeli" minister and chairman of the Otzma Yehudit party stated that Palestinian detainees are being held under minimal conditions.

“But there’s still something that must be done: the death penalty” for them, he stated.

He highlighted the severe detention conditions he had enforced on Palestinian detainees – a subject he has repeatedly flaunted in recent months.

“I am proud of the revolution in the prisons, unlike anything since the founding of the entity; today, instead of a summer camp, there is deterrence. There are no more smiles there — we erase them,” Ben-Gvir said.

“Ask any detainee who passed through my prison, if he would like to return there — they are afraid, trembling, and the number of attacks has fallen remarkably,” he added.

Ben-Gvir, who is known for his inflammatory remarks, has threatened to stop voting with "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition if his bill calling for the execution of Palestinian detainees is not put to a parliamentary vote soon. The "Israeli" Knesset is set to vote next week on the bill.

Earlier this month, Ben-Gvir told reporters that with the release of the final 20 surviving “Israeli” captives from Gaza, there were no longer any excuses for delaying the legislation.

He published a video in August, showing him threatening prominent Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti in his prison cell.

Testimonies collected by Palestinian lawyers indicate that detainees are subjected to systematic torture in "Israeli" facilities, including severe beatings, starvation, medical neglect, and other brutal treatments.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, 80 Palestinians have lost their lives in "Israeli" custody since October 2023, when "Israel" unleashed its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.