Israel passes new death penalty law sparking international criticism and condemnation

Israeli Parliament Passes Legislation Targeting Palestinians with Death Penalty

The Israeli parliament has approved legislation that would apply the death penalty exclusively to Palestinians. The law, which has been met with widespread international condemnation, will be enforced in military courts in the occupied West Bank.

According to Israeli rights groups and analysts, this latest development is part of a broader trend of codifying discrimination against Palestinians through various laws. These measures have been described as normalizing an “apartheid” system that differentiates between Jews and Palestinians.

Under the new law, individuals found guilty of carrying out an unlawful killing of Israelis will face the death penalty, regardless of whether they are Palestinian or Israeli citizens. In contrast, Palestinians charged with similar crimes in military courts have a conviction rate of 99.74 percent, while Israelis tried for crimes committed in the West Bank have a conviction rate of around 3 percent.

Reactions from lawmakers and analysts vary. Some, including Arab lawmaker Aida Touma-Suleiman, expressed disappointment and frustration at the passage of the law. Others, such as Yair Dvir from the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, described the legislation as part of a broader system that perpetuates inequality between Palestinians and Israelis.

Laws passed since Israel’s inception in 1948 have had a significant impact on Palestinian communities, including the Absentees’ Property Law of 1950 and the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law of 2003. The Nation-State Law of 2018 further codified Jewish legal supremacy and downgraded the Arabic language.

The new death penalty law is seen by some as an extreme example of a broader trend towards dehumanization of Palestinians in Israeli society.

Source: Al Jazeera