GENEVA/CAIRO/BAGHDAD – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Tuesday that Israel’s death penalty legislation targeting violates international law.
“It is deeply disappointing that this bill has been approved by the Knesset (parliament),” Turk said in a statement.
“It is patently inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations, including in relation to the right to life. It raises serious concerns about due process violations, is deeply discriminatory, and must be promptly repealed,” the statement said.
Israel’s parliament on Monday approved a bill making the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the West Bank convicted of “terrorism,” a move that has drawn international criticism.
Proposed by Israel’s far-right coalition government, the new law mandates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis with the intent to harm the state. It does not apply to Israelis who kill Palestinians.
Under the law, courts can impose the death penalty even if prosecutors do not request it, and a unanimous judicial decision is not required.
Also on Tuesday, Cairo-based Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit strongly condemned a recently approved Israeli bill allowing the “execution of Palestinian prisoners,” warning that it violates fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
Aboul-Gheit said the law undermines the requirements of justice and reflects “flagrant discrimination against Palestinians,” the organization said in a statement.
He added that the measure is part of Israeli efforts to besiege the Palestinian presence, erode what remains of Palestinians’ human rights, and pave the way for the annexation of the West Bank.
In Baghdad, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel’s approval of a bill that permits the “execution of Palestinian prisoners,” calling it a “grave violation” of international law.
In a statement, the ministry described the move as a dangerous escalation that contravenes the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.