Israel is closer than ever before to introducing the death penalty for terrorists. Since 1948, only two people have been executed in the Jewish state via judicial process: IDF officer Meir Tobianski, who was falsely accused of espionage and executed in 1948 (he was posthumously exonerated less than a year later); and Nazi Adolf Eichmann in 1962. So, why the change? And what does the bill actually say? According to the bill, “a terrorist who is convicted of murder out of motives of racism or hostility toward the public, and under circumstances in which the act was carried out with the intention of harming the State of Israel and the rebirth of the Jewish people in its land, shall be sentenced to death.” But the legislation goes one step further: the death sentence for these cases will be mandatory. Judicial discretion will not an option. For now, the bill has a key target: Hamas’ Nukhba commandos, who led the October 7 massacre. Ok, but why is this needed? First, I’ll go through the rationale behind the legislation itself, and then I’ll look at its specific timing. The goal here is simple: if Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israelis are executed after being convicted, then there’s no concern that they’ll be released later on in a deal with Hamas or another terror group, only to once again pose a threat to the Jewish state and its citizens. But it goes beyond just that. For years, Palestinian terrorists have known that even if they’re caught and sent to jail, they can hope to be released in a future deal. But if that is no longer an option, and the only future awaiting them is execution, then the hope is that it will deter some would-be terrorists. As for the timing, it had previously attracted opposition on the basis that it endangered the hostages. In September, Prisoners and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch told the Knesset’s National Security Committee: “We still have 48 hostages to recover. This discussion does not help us. We must examine this under a magnifying glass while our brothers’ lives are at risk. This is not my usual approach in committee work, but I must fulfill the mission of returning the hostages. That is why I came here to oppose the committee’s position.” But now, with no living hostages left in Gaza, the tables have turned, with Hirsch telling the committee last week that Benjamin Netanyahu supports the bill, and that Hirsch’s previous concerns have “become irrelevant.” So, the bill is now guaranteed to pass? Nobody can know for sure. Either way, Israeli decision makers now face a dilemma. On one hand, it’s impossible to oppose a push to prevent the future release of terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands. But do Israelis really want to send hundreds of people to their deaths? It’s far from a nice choice to make, but as Israelis are well aware, in the Middle East, making nice decisions is a luxury that they can rarely afford.

Yahya Sinwar, displaying Lt. Hadar Goldin’s weapon, under a massive Turkish flag. Turkey under @RTErdogan is not a “mediator.” It is a strategic base for Hamas. Erdogan's Turkey 🇹🇷 = Hamas

🚨 BREAKING: TRUMP wants to give a $10,000 BONUS to air traffic controllers. We are $40 trillion dollars in debt.

🚨 BREAKING: US Supreme Court REJECTS an effort to overturn gay marriage The appeal from a former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples has been denied. It’s here to stay.

🚨PM Netanyahu in the Knesset: "Gaza will be disarmed. The easy way or the hard way - it will happen."

🚨 Report: Despite opposition in Israel, Turkey is completing preparations to send about 2,000 armed soldiers to the peacekeeping force in Gaza. According to the report, the soldiers have already been recruited.

Gal Gadot stood for ethics, truth, and moral clarity when it wasn’t popular now Louis Vuitton rewards her with a $55M deal. Wonder Woman wins.

*CANADA LOSES MEASLES ELIMINATION STATUS AFTER YEARLONG OUTBREAK Another pandemic is inevitable at this rate.

Dubai edged out New York as the top destination for the global elite, a survey shows. Bloomberg reports.

A well-known Lebanese journalist, Rami Naim, has urged Lebanon to pursue a peace deal with Israel and “drop the theatrics,” saying he hopes such an agreement could be signed at the presidential palace with Netanyahu and Trump present.

UNRWA chief: Agency should have role in rebuilding Gaza timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e… @UNRWA are Hamas operatives.

I’d publicly thank KSA for the dialogue and for confirming that normalization is not in Israel’s interest under the regimes current leadership. I’d say it just like that.

The UAE will not participate in the multinational peacekeeping force in Gaza under the current circumstances, says Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president. Gargash said that Abu Dhabi does not yet see a clear framework for the proposed international stability force in Gaza.

The nation's largest trucking company says it will no longer service New York City after Mamdani takes office: "We've instructed our dispatchers to reject loads to any of the Five Burroughs," said Company Spokesman Joe Barron, "We don't see a way to continue doing business in the Big Apple.." The news comes as Mamdani released his plan to increase revenue across the city by quadrupling the cost of tolls, licensing, permits, and inspections of all commercial vehicles. "He's going to put a lot of the independent truckers out of business."

Today, Hadar Goldin's body was returned to Israel and has been identified. And tonight also Hadar Goldin’s gun was returned to his family. PS Most of the scumbags you see in the clip are dead!

🔒 Closure 🔒 In 2014 Hamas violated a ceasefire, killed Hadar Goldin and abducted his body. Then, in this ceremony, they handed over his weapons to Yahya Sinwar. x.com/AmitSegal/stat…

Can't let this dude's looks and wealth fool ya; I don't trust him one ounce, and the Trumps/Kushners love him - $$$. 😢

I assume breast cancer is a disease that does not affect Trump voters.

It is so weird how obsessed people are with the ongoings of Israeli domestic policy relative to literally any other country.

lmao apparently @MrMikeBlake has been deleting all his old pro-Israel and pro-AIPAC tweets to prepare for his challenge of @RepRitchie Ritchie Torres (1/2)