Israel’s parliament passed a law on Monday, March 30, 2026, making the death penalty by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who are convicted in military courts of carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis. The Knesset approved the bill by 62 votes to 48; it was promoted by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who celebrated in the chamber after the vote and called it a “historic” step.
Palestinian representatives and human rights organizations condemned the decision as a violation of international law and as discriminatory. The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the law as a “dangerous escalation” and said Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land in the occupied territory, arguing that the measure seeks to legitimize “extrajudicial killings” under legislative cover. Hamas called the law a “dangerous precedent” threatening the lives of Palestinian prisoners and urged the international community, including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to take immediate action to protect detainees. Politician Mustafa Barghouti warned that the law would target political prisoners and activists and pointed to what he described as an authoritarian shift within Israel.
Several organizations and international bodies also criticized the bill. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said it had filed an appeal against the law with Israel’s Supreme Court. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza said the law entrenches a longstanding policy of extrajudicial executions under the guise of law and violates international human rights and humanitarian law. The UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory called on Israel to immediately repeal the “discriminatory” law, reaffirming the UN’s opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and saying implementation would breach the prohibition on cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment while deepening violations linked to racial segregation and apartheid because it would apply exclusively to Palestinians, who are often convicted after unfair trials. Amnesty International described the measure as a public display of cruelty and discrimination, noting that Israel had dropped all charges only weeks earlier against soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee.
Further reactions came from Europe. Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset called the law’s passage a “serious regression” and said the Council would monitor developments and examine implications for conventions and cooperation mechanisms involving Israel. Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee voiced particular concern about the bill’s de facto discriminatory nature toward Palestinians, reiterated Ireland’s opposition to the death penalty, and urged Israel not to implement it. Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom had asked Israel to withdraw the draft and cited UN resolutions supporting a moratorium on the death penalty that he said should not be disregarded.
Source: Al Jazeera