Countries, international organizations, and rights groups have condemned Israel’s law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
The law passed by the Knesset on Monday mandates death by hanging as the default punishment for West Bank residents convicted of deadly terrorist acts by military courts.
The capital punishment specifically excludes Israeli citizens or residents; only Palestinians are tried in military courts, while Israelis are tried in civilian courts.
Courts can only commute to life imprisonment under “special circumstances,” and convicts must be executed within 90 days of sentencing, though the Prime Minister can delay up to 180 days.
Set to take effect within 30 days of its passage, the law removes the right to a pardon. Also, a simple majority of judges is enough to convict defendants, rather than a unanimous decision.
“No more revolving door for terrorists,” said National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who spearheaded the legislation. “Whoever chooses terrorism chooses death.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has urged Israel to repeal the law, arguing that it is inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations, including the right to life.
In a statement on Tuesday, Turk said the legislation “is deeply discriminatory,” raises serious concerns about due process violations, and would institutionalize one-sided justice.
“The death penalty is profoundly difficult to reconcile with human dignity,” the High Commissioner noted. “It raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.”
The European Union said that despite a complex security environment in the region, Israel had long upheld a de facto moratorium on both executions and capital punishment sentencing.
The death penalty approved by the Knesset and its discriminatory character “marks a grave regression from that practice and from Israel’s own commitments,” the alliance emphasized.
The EU advised Israel to respect its previous principled position, obligations under international law, and its commitment to democratic principles, as reflected in the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the legislation as a “dangerous escalation,” stressing that Israel and its laws have no sovereignty over Palestinian land nor the people.
The ministry accused Israel of seeking to ”legitimize extrajudicial killing under legislative cover,” calling its judicial system and Knesset ”tools to perpetuate crimes against the Palestinian people.”
France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Amnesty International, and the Council of Europe, among others, have similarly voiced opposition to the controversial law.
Outrage over Israel’s death penalty law targeting Palestinians
