Israel expands death penalty regime in the occupied West Bank
Israel has enforced a new law mandating the death penalty for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, after the territory’s top military commander signed the order bringing the measure into force on Sunday.
The order allows military courts to impose capital punishment on Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis.
Judges may only opt for life imprisonment in exceptional circumstances, making execution the default sentence in most cases.
Approved in March, the law entrenches what critics describe as an apartheid-style dual legal system that applies solely to Palestinians.
Israeli citizens and residents remain under civilian jurisdiction and are exempt from the law’s provisions.
The measure applies exclusively to military courts, where Palestinians are tried, further reinforcing a system widely criticised for denying fair trial guarantees.
One criterion for imposing the death penalty is that the act was intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel or the authority of the military commander in the area”, a condition that overwhelmingly targets Palestinians resisting occupation.
Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomed the move, describing it as a tool to combat Palestinian resistance.
Ben Gvir hailed the decision as a political victory for his Jewish Power party stating, “We promised and we fulfilled” and that “we do not capitulate or contain murderous terrorism, we defeat it.”
The law has drawn fierce condemnation from Palestinian organisations, who warn it formalises discrimination and strips Palestinians of basic legal protections.
Critics argue it deepens an entrenched system of apartheid, where two populations live under separate legal regimes.
Human rights organisations have denounced the legislation as a dangerous escalation, pointing to a surge in arrests on sweeping security charges, alongside mounting reports of torture and deaths in Israeli custody since the war on Gaza intensified.
Palestinian prisoners’ rights groups described the law as an “unprecedented act of savagery”, accusing Israel of codifying violence against detainees amid worsening conditions behind bars.
Israeli advocacy groups, including Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, HaMoked and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, have also condemned the measure, warning it creates a “discriminatory punitive framework” that denies Palestinians equal protection under the law and safeguards against abuse.
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