Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has vowed to push for the capital execution of Palestinian prisoners and accelerate the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank if appointed defence minister in the next government.
Ben-Gvir posted video footage on the X platform showing him confronting Palestinian prisoner Hassan Salameh inside his prison cell.
Salameh has been detained by Israeli authorities since 1996 and is currently serving multiple life sentences following convictions over bombings in the 1990s that Israel states killed and wounded dozens of Israelis.
"I want to execute you," Ben-Gvir told Salameh directly in the video.
In a statement accompanying the recording, Ben-Gvir asserted that should he assume the defence portfolio, he would actively ensure prisoners such as Salameh face execution, whilst aggressively promoting the "voluntary migration" of Palestinians from both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Death penalty legislation
The far-right minister confirmed that his Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party will formally condition its entry into any future governing coalition on securing both the defence and justice ministerial portfolios.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly agitated for the mass transfer and displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank under the terminology of "voluntary migration"—schemes consistently denounced and rejected by Palestinian leaders, the wider public, and Arab states as forced expulsions and ethnic cleansing.
In March, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation authorising the application of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners under designated circumstances, a statutory measure spearheaded and fiercely championed by Ben-Gvir and his parliamentary faction.
The capital punishment bill provoked widespread condemnation, diplomatic friction, and popular demonstrations across Arab and regional nations over its severe human rights implications for incarcerated Palestinians.
The minister's remarks come as Israel prepares to hold its nationwide Knesset general election on October 27.
