Widespread Palestinian Anger After Knesset Approves Prisoner Execution Law: Official Legislation for Extermination

The Israeli Knesset finally approved, in its second and third readings, a law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners accused by the occupation of carrying out operations against it. The approval came with a majority of 62 members against 47, in a move described by Palestinian circles as official legislation for extrajudicial killing and an unprecedented escalation in policies of abuse.\n\nInformed sources confirmed that the law was designed with a clear racist character, as it exclusively targets those convicted of killing an Israeli out of 'racist or hostile' motives, while exempting Israelis who kill Palestinians. This legislation enjoys direct support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with far-right parties.\n\nFor its part, the Palestinian Presidency announced its absolute rejection of this law, considering it a blatant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Presidency clarified in a statement that this legislation undermines all guarantees of protection and fair trial stipulated by international laws.\n\nThe Presidency warned of the serious repercussions of these racist laws on regional stability, emphasizing that the issue of prisoners will remain at the top of national priorities. It stressed that these measures will not succeed in breaking the will of the Palestinian people or deterring them from continuing their legitimate struggle to achieve their independence and establish their state with Jerusalem as its capital.\n\nIn a related context, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates described the approval of the law as a 'dangerous shift in the legislation of genocide.' The Ministry stated that the occupation, through its legislative and judicial institutions, seeks to provide legal cover for extrajudicial executions, which puts the Israeli system in direct confrontation with international justice.\n\n"The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to take effective steps to stop dealing with the Israeli Knesset and impose sanctions on its members. It also demanded the withdrawal of the occupation's membership from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, considering that international silence encourages the occupation to proceed with war crimes against the Palestinian people.\n\nIn turn, the Hamas movement saw the law as embodying the 'bloody and fascist' nature of the occupation, and exposing the falsity of its claims of adherence to humanitarian values. The movement affirmed that this legislation expresses the mentality of criminal gangs, holding the occupation leaders fully responsible for the consequences that may result from threatening the lives of prisoners.\n\nAs for the Islamic Jihad movement, it considered the approval of the law an escalation aimed at political revenge under parliamentary and judicial cover. The movement called on the International Court of Justice and UN investigative committees to classify this law as a crime against humanity, demanding the Palestinian people to escalate confrontation to protect prisoners from the danger of execution.\n\nFor its part, the Prisoners' Affairs Commission affirmed that the law represents the most dangerous stage in the history of the prisoner movement, as it transforms prisons into arenas for systematic extermination. The commission indicated that the law comes at a time when prisoners are suffering from the most horrific forms of torture, starvation, and deliberate medical neglect since the start of the aggression in October 2023.\n\nThe commission demanded the activation of universal jurisdiction to prosecute Israeli officials for war crimes committed against prisoners. It stressed the need to end administrative detention policies and military courts that lack the minimum standards of integrity, especially in light of the recent martyrdom of more than 100 prisoners inside detention centers.\n\nIn the legal framework, the 'Adalah' center clarified that the law entrenches a discriminatory legal system that targets Palestinians on a national basis. The center announced its intention to challenge the law before the competent courts, emphasizing that it violates the basic principles of human rights and the right to life guaranteed by international conventions.\n\nStatistical data indicates the presence of about 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, including hundreds of children and women who live in tragic conditions. Human rights organizations document a sharp increase in cases of physical and sexual assault and deprivation of treatment, which has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of martyrs inside prisons.\n\nThis law brings back memories of the occupation's history of official executions, with the last execution carried out in 1962 against Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann. Observers believe that the return to this option reflects the far-right's control over Israeli decision-making and its desire to eliminate the Palestinian presence.\n\nFinally, national and Islamic forces affirmed that the approval of the execution law will not achieve security for the occupation, but will increase the pace of resistance and determination to liberate prisoners. The forces called for the broadest popular and international movement to support prisoners in their battle against unjust laws that target their lives and dignity.\n\nThis law amounts to a war crime committed against the Palestinian people, and comes in the context of the escalating policies pursued by the occupation authorities.