Arab and Islamic countries have condemned Israel's move to pass a law making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of carrying out deadly attacks.
The condemnation - which included a reference to an Israeli "system of apartheid" - came in a joint statement issued on Thursday by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The ministers warned against what they described as “increasingly discriminatory and escalating Israeli practices that entrench a system of apartheid and promote a rejectionist discourse that denies the inalienable rights and the very existence of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
They said the move represents a dangerous escalation, particularly because of its discriminatory application to Palestinian prisoners, and that such measures risk exacerbating tension and undermining regional stability.
The ministers also expressed deep concern about the treatment of Palestinian detained by Israel, quoting credible reports of abuses including torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, starvation and the denial of basic rights.
“These practices reflect a broader pattern of violations against the Palestinian people,” the statement said, reaffirming opposition to what it described as Israel’s “racially discriminatory, oppressive and aggressive policies targeting Palestinians”.
The law contains two provisions related to the death penalty. One applies in the occupied West Bank, where military courts would be able to impose it for what are defined as “terrorist acts”.
Only Palestinians are tried in these military courts, which have a conviction rate of about 96 per cent, largely based on confessions obtained under duress during interrogations, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.
A copy of the law seen by The National states that it would apply to residents of the West Bank “except Israeli residents”.
Under a second provision, Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem could face the death penalty for “intentional killing … with the aim of negating the existence of the state of Israel”.
According to B’Tselem, Israel currently holds about 9,500 Palestinians under administrative detention – imprisonment without formal charge.
Since the war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, at least 80 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons amid reports of poor treatment, medical negligence and violence, the group said.
Introduced in November, the bill faced significant domestic and international opposition, prompting changes to its language. An earlier version stipulated that the death penalty would be mandatory, but it was revised to allow life imprisonment in some cases.
A death sentence would also require due process and a fair trial – conditions that rights groups say are often not met in Israel’s court system for Palestinian detainees.
