Israel: government approves draft bill for execution of Palestinian prisoners

People gather in front of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the protest over Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, in Gaza City, Gaza on February 20, 2023. [Ali Jadallah - Anadolu Agency]

Israel's far-right occupation government approved on Sunday a draft bill which, if it becomes law, will authorise the execution of Palestinian prisoners, Arab48.com has reported. The bill was proposed by extreme far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"The court [will be able to] impose the death penalty on anyone who commits a murder on national grounds against the citizens of Israel," said Ben-Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a joint statement.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the approval of the bill and said that it violates international law. "The death penalty violates the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people to life, non-discrimination and self-determination," said the PA foreign ministry. "It is a cruel, barbaric and inhumane bill rooted in Jewish supremacy and aimed precisely to deny the Palestinian people their right to exist and their humanity."

The ministry added that, as Israel continues to kill Palestinians disproportionally and willfully, it will now put them on death row arbitrarily. "The State of Palestine warns against the dangerous repercussions of the death penalty bill and holds Israel fully responsible for its criminal policies and laws." It called upon the international community to act against it.