Home NIEUWSARCHIEF The death penalty returns to Israel

[AUDIO] The death penalty returns to Israel

The Guardian  /  May 26, 2026

Earlier this month, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, celebrated his 50th birthday – with a noose-themed cake, and a message written in icing: ‘Sometimes dreams come true.’

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As The Guardian’s senior Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison, explains, for decades Israel had an effective moratorium on capital punishment. Yet in the past two months it has passed two laws around the death penalty – to be applied seemingly only to Palestinians.

Annie Kelly asks about this new era of the Israeli justice system, and whether there are any dissenting voices in the country against it

Presented by Annie Kelly with Emma Graham-Harrison; produced by Eleanor Biggs and Rudi Zygadlo; executive producer Sami Kent