Israel Has Passed A Death Penalty Law Only For Palestinians And Not Israelis Convicted Of Killings In The West Bank
It applies primarily to Palestinians and not to Israelis committing similar acts against Palestinians, creating a discriminatory dual legal system.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has officially passed a law making the death penalty mandatory for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who are convicted of killing Israelis in acts of “terror”, but not for Israelis who kill Palestinians.
The new law, which was championed by Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, passed its final reading on Monday, March 30, by 62 votes in favor, including one from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to 48 against and one abstention.
The law makes execution by hanging the default punishment in military courts for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis.
Under the law, the execution is to be carried out within 90 days, extendable to 180 days.
Judges can choose life imprisonment instead, but only in vaguely defined "special circumstances."
There is no right of appeal, and a death sentence requires only a simple majority of judges, not a unanimous decision.
It applies primarily to Palestinians and not to Israelis committing similar acts against Palestinians, creating a discriminatory dual legal system.
Ben Gvir, who has spent years pushing for the passage of the law, wore a noose pin and celebrated the vote with champagne.
"This is a day of justice for the victims and a day of deterrence for our enemies," he said.
The Palestinian Authority called the new law a "war crime" breaching the Geneva Conventions.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition with the Supreme Court, calling the law "discriminatory by design."
The UK, Germany, France and Italy had urged Israeli lawmakers to abandon the bill before the vote and condemned it as "de facto discrimination" and a threat to democratic principles.
The UN Human Rights Office in Palestine called on Israel to immediately repeal the law, saying it violates international law's prohibition on cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, according to Al Jazeera.
The law comes into effect within 30 days.
Israel's Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the petition against it.
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