Katz orders activation of death penalty law against Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank

Media sources reported that the commander of the Central Command in the occupation army, Avi Bluth, officially signed a new legal amendment allowing military courts to issue death sentences against Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank. This military measure aims to enhance judicial powers in prosecuting resistance activists, representing a radical and dangerous shift in the policy adopted by the occupation over the past decades towards detainees.

For his part, occupation war minister Yisrael Katz affirmed that this signing transforms the new policy into a tangible reality on the ground, indicating that he issued direct instructions to the army leadership to begin immediate implementation. Katz stressed in his statements that the goal of this step is to ensure that those he described as 'targets of Jews' do not remain in prisons under comfortable living conditions, in reference to tightening retaliatory measures against prisoners.

Legal data indicates that this military amendment came at Katz's direct request to overcome legal obstacles that prevented the application of the death penalty in the West Bank areas. It is noteworthy that the new law does not require the unanimity of judges or even a request from the public prosecution to carry out the punishment, and it is characterized by clear racial discrimination as it applies only to Palestinians, not to settlers who commit similar crimes.

In a related context, human rights reports warned of the repercussions of this decision, which could lead to an explosion of the field situation and an escalation of confrontations in various cities and villages of the West Bank. Legal circles believe that legislating killing through military courts represents a blatant violation of international conventions, especially given the presence of more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, including hundreds of children and women who face harsh detention conditions.

Statistics from the Prisoners' Affairs Authority indicate that there are approximately 117 Palestinian prisoners to whom the criteria of this unjust law apply immediately, placing their lives under direct threat. This legal escalation comes at a time when the occupation continues its widespread aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, amidst international demands to stop systematic violations against the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people and protect prisoners from retaliatory laws.

I directly instructed the army leadership to immediately implement the death penalty law, and those who target Jews will no longer remain in comfortable conditions.