Israel’s parliament has passed a controversial law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israeli targets, with two Arab lawmakers among those who voted in favour.
The Knesset approved the legislation late on Monday with 62 votes, in a move widely criticised as discriminatory and in violation of international law.
Among those backing the bill were two Druze members of the Knesset affiliated with Zionist parties - Afif Abed of the ruling Likud party and Akram Hasson of the New Hope party. Afif Abed Afif Abed, born in February 1974, is a Druze Israeli politician from the village of Yarka in the Galilee. He is a member of the 25th Knesset representing Likud, where he is associated with what the party describes as the "non-Jewish sector".
Abed is a relatively new figure in parliament, joining the Knesset in January 2025 under the so-called "Norwegian law", which allows ministers to resign their seats to be filled by other party members.
He has been active within Likud for years, joining its central committee in 2001 and later serving as deputy head of the party's youth movement and a member of its secretariat. Before entering national politics, he worked in local government in Yarka, managing business licensing.
According to Israeli sources, Abed briefly served in the Israeli military. He has also drawn attention for his involvement during events in Syria last year, when Druze residents crossed the border, reportedly entering the Syrian village of Hader to persuade them to return. Akram Hasson Akram Hasson, born in July 1959, is a veteran Druze politician from Daliyat al-Karmel near Haifa. He is currently a member of the Knesset for the New Hope party, led by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Hasson has moved between several political parties over his career, previously serving in parliament for Kadima and Kulanu. He has also held senior local positions, including head of the Daliyat al-Karmel council and mayor of a joint municipal authority linking Daliyat al-Karmel and Isfiya between 2003 and 2008.
He previously served in the Israeli military and worked in the prison service. Hasson holds academic qualifications in education and a doctorate in history, and has authored several works on Druze heritage in Israel. Arabs condemn 'apartheid' death penalty law The law, which was passed on Monday, has triggered widespread condemnation across the Arab world and in Europe for singling out Palestinians and undermining basic legal protections.
Egypt condemned the move in the "strongest terms", describing it as a discriminatory measure that violates international law and entrenches unequal treatment.
Jordan called for "immediate and effective" international action to prevent its implementation, warning it breaches international humanitarian law.
Iraq described the legislation as a "dangerous escalation", while the Arab Parliament said it amounts to a "war crime" and a crime against humanity, urging global bodies to take action.
Meanwhile, the European Commission said it represents a "clear step backwards", pointing to both the use of the death penalty and its discriminatory nature.
Germany reiterated its opposition to capital punishment and said the law would likely be applied exclusively to Palestinians.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described it as "a further step towards apartheid", while Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, called it "deeply humiliating and highly discriminatory".