UN, FreeMuslim Inc. Condemn Israel’s New Death Penalty Law for Palestinians
UN, FreeMuslim Inc. Condemn Israel’s New Death Penalty Law for Palestinians
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The United Nations and the International Nonviolence Organization (FreeMuslim) have condemned Israel’s parliament for approving a new death penalty law targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, warning it could constitute a war crime.
The law, passed late Monday, mandates the death penalty as the default sentence for Palestinians convicted in Israeli military courts of deadly attacks classified as “terrorism.” Palestinians are automatically tried in military courts, while Israeli civilians face either death or life imprisonment under similar charges.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the legislation as “deeply discriminatory” and “patently inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations.” He emphasized that its application to Palestinians in occupied territory “would constitute a war crime,” adding that the death penalty is “profoundly difficult to reconcile with human dignity.”
Turk also criticized a separate bill under consideration in the Knesset that would create a special military court to prosecute crimes committed during and after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks, noting that it would not apply to alleged violations by Israeli forces in the occupied territories. “By focusing exclusively on crimes committed by Palestinians, it would institutionalize discriminatory and one-sided justice,” he said.
The World Nonviolence Organization (FreeMuslim) also denounced the law, calling it a “serious escalation and violation of international law and humanitarian conventions.” In a statement shared with Shia Waves Agency, the organization urged the international community to condemn the law, take legal and diplomatic measures, and ensure that the rights and dignity of prisoners are protected.
The group warned that international silence could embolden further escalations and urged governments and international institutions to uphold justice and human rights, emphasizing that protecting detainees under international humanitarian law is a collective responsibility.
