Lawmakers have approved the first reading of a government-backed bill that would impose the death penalty on terrorists convicted of killing Israelis. The bill, led by Limor Son Har-Melech, mandates that Israeli courts sentence those who commit nationalistically motivated murders to death, and allows military courts in the West Bank to do so with a simple majority. The legislation has drawn criticism for its language, which some argue would apply only to Arabs who kill Jews, not to Jewish perpetrators. The bill now moves to committee for further preparation before its final readings, amid ongoing debate and political division.