Palestinian leaders, human rights groups and Western governments on Tuesday condemned Israel’s new law making death by hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis, describing it as a discriminatory violation of international law and a dangerous escalation.
The legislation, passed late on Monday by Israel’s Knesset in a 62-48 vote, applies primarily to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank tried in military courts for offences resulting in death. It was strongly championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who celebrated its approval by opening champagne in the parliamentary chamber.
“We made history,” Ben-Gvir wrote on social media, rejecting international pressure. “And I say to the people of the European Union who have applied pressure and threatened the State of Israel: We are not afraid, we will not submit.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the law a “dangerous escalation” that “reveals the nature of the Israeli colonial system” and lacks any legal basis since “Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land.”
Hamas described the measure as a “dangerous precedent that threatens the lives” of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, accusing Israel of showing contempt for international law and humanitarian norms. The group urged the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to take immediate action to protect Palestinian prisoners.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, warned that the law would target Palestinian political prisoners and activists, reflecting a “fascist shift” within the Israeli system amid international inaction.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights condemned the legislation “in the strongest terms,” saying it entrenches Israel’s policy of extrajudicial executions under the guise of law and violates international human rights and humanitarian standards. It called on the international community to intervene urgently.
The UN Human Rights Office in Palestine demanded that Israel “immediately repeal the discriminatory death penalty law.” It stressed that the United Nations opposes capital punishment in all circumstances and warned that the measure violates prohibitions on cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment while further entrenching what it described as racial segregation and apartheid.
Amnesty International labelled the law “a public display of cruelty, discrimination and utter contempt for human rights.” Erika Guevara-Rosas, the group’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, said it represented the culmination of a pattern of unlawful killings and near-total impunity for perpetrators.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel announced it had filed an appeal against the law with Israel’s Supreme Court.
The European Union called the development “very concerning” and “a clear step backwards.” A Commission spokesperson urged Israel to respect its obligations under international law and its commitment to democratic principles.
Alain Berset, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, denounced the law as a “serious regression,” stating that the death penalty is “a legal anachronism incompatible with contemporary human-rights standards.” He added that any discriminatory application is unacceptable in a state governed by the rule of law and said the Council would closely monitor the situation and its implications for Israel’s participation in European conventions and cooperation mechanisms.
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee expressed particular concern over the law’s “de facto discriminatory nature” as it relates to Palestinians, reiterating Ireland’s strong opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and urging Israel not to implement it.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom had pressed Israel to withdraw the bill before its passage, emphasising that commitments to a moratorium on the death penalty must be upheld and describing the taking of life as punishment as “an inhuman measure that violates the dignity of the person.”
The law comes amid a surge in violence in the West Bank and follows Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Israel has not carried out a judicial execution since the 1960s, apart from the 1962 hanging of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Legal experts expect challenges to the new legislation in Israel’s courts.
