ISRAEL ENACTS DEATH PENALTY LAW FOR PALESTINIAN PRISONERS

Tel Aviv |
By International Affairs Desk
Israel has enacted a controversial law permitting the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, with the military’s Central Command chief Avi Bluth signing the necessary military order to extend its application to the occupied West Bank, Israeli media reported Sunday.
Under the new legislation, courts are required to treat capital punishment as the primary sentence in cases where Israeli fatalities have occurred — unless a court determines that “special circumstances” justify a life sentence instead.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the law empowers courts in the occupied West Bank to sentence Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis on the basis of “denial of the existence of the State of Israel.” Legal analysts noted that the ideological framing of the law makes it effectively applicable only to Palestinians, while its use against extremist Jewish settlers would be “extremely difficult or near impossible.”
Israeli legal and security experts also raised alarm over the application of Knesset legislation to individuals who are not Israeli citizens — a significant departure from longstanding Israeli policy regarding occupied territories. Several legal authorities issued warnings during a Sunday session of the Knesset’s National Security Committee, calling the move a major shift in how civilian laws are applied in occupied territories.
The law was originally passed by Israel’s cabinet in March, making the death penalty the default sentence for Palestinians involved in lethal attacks on Israelis. Last week, the Israeli parliament also approved the establishment of a special military tribunal to try individuals Israel has designated as members of Hamas’s elite units involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks.
According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, more than 9,600 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons — including approximately 350 children and 73 women. Rights groups allege that detainees face torture, starvation, medical neglect, and harsh conditions.
Human rights advocates have warned that the new law risks further inflaming tensions in the region and raises serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law and the integrity of the judicial system in occupied territories.