Despite the criticism. Israel Enters into Effect of the "Execution of Palestinian Prisoners" Law
The death penalty law against Palestinians in the West Bank for allegedly committing terrorist acts came into effect yesterday evening, after the commander of the Israeli occupation army's Central Command , Avi Ballut, signed the military order necessary to implement the legislation.
The move came at the direct request of Israeli Minister of War Yisrael Katz, following the Knesset's approval of the law at the end of last March.
The order stipulates that military courts shall impose the death penalty on those accused of attacks that have killed Israelis, unless judges find exceptional circumstances that justify life imprisonment, as Israeli officials allege.
Human Rights Sharp Criticism of 'Discriminatory and Racist Law'
The law has been widely criticized by international and human rights groups and labeled "racial discrimination," as it explicitly states that it does not apply to Israeli citizens or residents of Israel, and is limited to military courts before which Palestinians are tried alone, while Israelis are tried before civilian courts.
In addition, the law requires that the perpetrator be motivated by denying the existence of the so-called "State of Israel" or the authority of the military commander, motives that are likely to be limited to Palestinians.
On the other hand, human rights organizations have petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to challenge the constitutionality of the law, with the court giving the state until May 24 to respond to it.
Strict enforcement mechanism
The Israeli decision is based on a fast and strict implementation mechanism, allowing the issuance of the death sentence by a simple majority within the panel of judges without the need for unanimity, provided that the sentence is carried out by hanging within a period not exceeding 90 days from the issuance of the final decision.
The law also denies prisoners the right to request pardons or commutation of sentences, and strips the government and military of the power to intervene to overturn it.
At the level of detention, the law stipulates that convicts should be isolated in tight underground solitary confinement cells and completely deprived of visits, and that the sentence be carried out by masked prison officers who are unidentified and fully immune from any future criminal or civil prosecution.
Ben-Gvir and Katz: Fulfilling an Election Promise
In a joint statement, Israeli Minister of War Katz and extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir described the law as "a clear and sharp change in policy after the October 7, 2023 attack," stressing that "the perpetrators will no longer sit in prisons in comfortable conditions, and will not wait for prisoner exchange deals."
For his part, Ben-Gvir considered the signing of the military order to be the implementation of an election promise made by his far-right party "Otzma Yehudit" (Jewish Power) under the slogan "We promised and we implemented", stressing that Israel seeks to defeat what he described as "terrorism" rather than containing it.
Sharp international criticism
The death penalty passed by the Israeli Knesset against Palestinian prisoners has been criticized by Europe for its "racial discrimination."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the law "unfair and an additional step towards apartheid," and said in a post on the X platform on Tuesday that "it is an unbalanced step, as it will not apply to Israelis who may commit the same crimes, one crime, different punishments." "The world cannot remain silent."
The German government also condemned the new Israeli law, and the government spokesman confirmed in a statement today that Berlin insists on rejecting the death penalty and believes that the law passed by the Israeli Knesset on Monday evening "will most likely apply exclusively to Palestinians in the Palestinian territories."
The European Commission has strongly criticized the new Israeli law, arguing that it would make the death penalty "the default punishment for Palestinians convicted of deadly terrorist attacks."
A joint statement issued by France, Italy and Germany, ahead of the final vote, warned of the discriminatory nature of the bill and considered its adoption to undermine Israel's commitment to democratic principles.
The law applies to the 117 Israelis accused of deliberately killing Israelis in Tel Aviv prisons, according to the Palestinian Prisoners and Liberators Affairs Commission, while more than 9,500 Palestinians, including 350 children and 73 women, are languishing in Israeli prisons, and are suffering, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, torture, starvation and medical negligence, which led to the death of dozens of them.
Hamas Leaders Continue to Target
Coinciding with this legislative shift, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, during his weekly cabinet meeting, that Israel is "very close" to eliminating all those responsible for the October 7 attack.
Netanyahu confirmed that Hamas officials continue to be targeted, praising the Israeli army's announcement of the assassination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, commander-in-chief of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas' military wing).
Netanyahu claimed that Hamas is now in the grip of Israeli forces, which currently control 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, as they advance toward the new "orange line" to ensure that Gaza does not pose a future threat.
In the field context, the Israeli occupation army announced the death of the official in the Hamas Operations Authority, Bahaa Baroud, following a precise airstrike carried out by the Southern Region Command inside the Gaza Strip.
Fragile agreement and deepening humanitarian crisis
On the other hand, the Palestinian factions assert that Israel is deliberately continuing the escalation on the ground and assassinations in order to undermine any political or negotiating efforts aimed at establishing a sustainable truce.
Although the ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States and entered into force on April 10 , stipulated that Israeli forces would withdraw to the "yellow line" inside Gaza, the raids and clashes did not stop.
According to the Palestinian Health Authority in the Gaza Strip, 871 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the supposed truce came into effect, while the Israeli army admitted to killing five of its soldiers during the same period.