ISRAELI DEATH PENALTY LAW FOR PALESTINIAN PRISONERS ‘WAR CRIME’: PALESTINE

ISTANBUL, March 31 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Palestine on Monday condemned the passage of a law by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, that mandates the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners as a “war crime,” Anadolu Ajansi reported.

“This law is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which guarantees protection for individuals and fair trial rights,” the Palestinian Authority said in a statement carried by the official news agency WAFA.

“This law constitutes a war crime against the Palestinian people and is part of the escalating policies and measures pursued by the occupying authorities throughout the Palestinian territory, including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem,” it added.

The Palestinian Authority called on the international community “to take a firm stance to stop these violations and hold Israel accountable.”

It warned of serious repercussions of “such racist laws, which would increase tension and escalation, and threaten the chances of achieving security and stability in the region.”

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also denounced the Israeli law as a “dangerous shift toward legalising genocide, and adopting extrajudicial executions.”

The ministry said in a statement that the law puts Israel “in direct confrontation with international law,” calling on the international community “to sanction Israel, isolate its institutions, activate accountability mechanisms, and work to protect Palestinian prisoners.”

Palestinian factions and officials also condemned the legislation.

According to WAFA, Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee and secretary-general of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, said the “racist” law is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He called on signatories to the Geneva Conventions to convene to halt the law, saying it “legalises extrajudicial killing.”

Majdalani said “fascism has reached its furthest extent in the occupying state,” describing the law as evidence that Israel continues to pursue racist legislation.

He added that Palestinians are facing an unprecedented and dangerous escalation through retaliatory laws targeting prisoners.

The Fatah movement said approval of the law amounts to “legalising policies of killing” and violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and international treaties.

In a statement sent to Anadolu, Fatah said the legislation institutionalises what Palestinian prisoners face in Israeli prisons, including killings, medical neglect and torture.

The movement said the law reflects an unprecedented level of “racism and criminality” and forms part of wider Israeli policies targeting the Palestinian people.

Fatah called on the international community to take a firm position to halt such policies and hold those responsible accountable.

Hamas, meanwhile, called on the international community and human rights organisations to take urgent action to stop what it described as an “escalating criminal campaign” and ensure protection for Palestinian prisoners.

The movement said the final approval of what it called the “law to execute Palestinian prisoners” reflects “the bloody nature of the occupation and its approach based on killing and terrorism.”

Hamas said the “fascist” law sets a dangerous precedent, threatening the lives of Palestinian prisoners, and underscores Israel’s disregard for international law and humanitarian norms.

The Palestinian National Initiative also called for sanctions and boycotts against Israel in response to what it described as the Knesset’s “fascist” law.

The movement said the legislation marks the culmination of Israel’s shift toward “racist fascism” and the entrenchment of an apartheid system.

It added that statements of condemnation alone would not deter Israel and called for sanctions against “the entire Israeli system.”

The law was approved in its second and third readings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in favour of the law.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU