According to a report by The Guardian on August 20, Israeli National Security Minister and leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, Ben-Gvir, posted a video on social media showcasing a prison complex and gallows under construction. This comes after Ben-Gvir made extreme remarks claiming Israel should eliminate “30 to 40 people” every night in the Gaza Strip, drawing widespread international condemnation.
In the video, Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir is seen showcasing the prison complex and gallows being built. Image via The Guardian report.
According to the report, in the video, Ben-Gvir points to an area under construction and boasts that it will be the “place for executing terrorists.” He claims: “I promised to worsen the conditions of terrorists in prison—and we did. I promised to pass the Death Penalty Law for terrorists—and we did. Now, death row and the gallows are starting to take shape.”
Ben-Gvir further claims that the new execution site will include an “observation room” for victims’ families to watch the hangings.
The Guardian reports that the gallows facility is intended solely for executing Palestinians convicted of terrorism offenses in the military court system, and not for Jewish extremists. Earlier this year, Israel passed a law making hanging the default punishment for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks on Israelis. Once a death sentence is handed down, it must be carried out within 90 days.
The Guardian notes that Jewish Israelis are effectively protected from the death penalty under a clause stating that capital punishment applies only to murders committed with the “intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk had previously urged Israel to repeal this law reinstating the death penalty, which applies almost exclusively to Palestinians. Türk emphasized that the legislation violates international law, is severely discriminatory, and threatens equal justice and human rights protections.
Ben-Gvir has recently faced strong international condemnation for his inflammatory remarks. In a podcast interview, he made outrageous statements, saying, “I think we should carry out targeted killings in the Gaza Strip, eliminating 30 to 40 people every night—not just those who pose a direct threat.” He added, “These people don’t deserve to live. They shouldn’t exist in this world. They’re not even human.”
In response to these remarks from the Israeli National Security Minister, German Deputy Government Spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said on August 19 that German Chancellor Merz “strongly condemns the inhumane remarks made by Ben-Gvir that violate international law,” calling them “unacceptable.” On the same day, French Foreign Minister Barrot also fiercely criticized the remarks during a domestic media interview, calling them “intolerable and inhumane.” A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that Guterres described the remarks as “shocking, horrific, inhumane, and extremely dangerous.”