The Arab League expressed “deep concern and strong condemnation” over Israel’s reported plans to establish a facility for carrying out death sentences against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
In a statement, the league said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had announced plans for a facility that would include a wing for death-row inmates and viewing rooms for the families of what Israel calls “victims.”
The move would mark a “dangerous and unprecedented escalation” in violations of Palestinian prisoners’ rights and a blatant breach of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, its protocols and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the statement said.
The league said the approval of what it called a law imposing the death penalty on “terrorists” in March 2026, followed by preparations to implement it, formed part of a systematic policy targeting the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people.
It warned that carrying out such sentences would constitute a war crime and called on the international community — particularly the UN Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court — to take immediate action.
The Arab League urged the international community to provide protection for Palestinian prisoners and hold Israeli officials accountable for alleged violations.
It reaffirmed its support for Palestinian rights, including freedom, dignity and an end to the Israeli occupation, and called for urgent international action to prevent what it described as a new humanitarian and legal catastrophe.
