Israel death penalty law for Palestinians draws global backlash

A newly adopted Israeli law introducing the death penalty for certain offences has drawn sharp criticism from the international community, including coordinated condemnation from several Muslim-majority countries and reactions from European actors.

Earlier this week, Israel’s parliament approved legislation stipulating that military courts may impose death sentences on Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis in what are defined as “terrorist acts.” The law does not envisage the same punishment for Jewish Israelis convicted of killing Palestinians.

In response, the foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority countries — Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — issued a joint statement condemning the measure.

The ministers said they “oppose Israel’s increasingly discriminatory and aggressive policies, which entrench a system of apartheid and deny the inalienable rights and the very existence of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

They also voiced “deep concern” over the conditions of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, citing “credible reports” from human rights organisations alleging torture, starvation, and “violations of basic rights.”

The European Union, along with several individual European countries, has also criticised the legislation.

The law was passed during a plenary session of the Knesset on Monday evening, March 30, receiving support from 62 lawmakers, while 48 voted against and one abstained.

By Tamilla Hasanova