The Hague Initiative Condemns the Enactment of the Prisoner Death Penalty Law, Describing It as Legislation Tha Institutionalizes Occupation into a System of Systematic Killing

The Hague Initiative Condemns the Enactment of the Prisoner Death Penalty Law, Describing It as Legislation Tha Institutionalizes Occupation into a System of Systematic Killing

 

The Hague Initiative for Law and Justice expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation of the Israeli Knesset’s final approval of the law authorizing the execution of Palestinian prisoners, passed with 62 votes in favor, 47 against, and one abstention.

 

The Initiative emphasizes that the enactment of such a law legitimizes extrajudicial killings and transforms the criminal justice system into a tool of retaliation, in clear violation of the principles of fair trial and due process guarantees. It also constitutes a blatant breach of the occupying state’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions, particularly regarding the protection of prisoners and ensuring their humane treatment, free from any form of cruel or inhuman punishment.

 

The Initiative warns of the grave concerns posed by the application of this law, as it represents a continuation of acts amounting to genocide, especially as it adopts killing as a method of dealing with the situation in the Gaza Strip and as a means of revenge against Palestinians. Following amendments made by the occupying authorities to several laws after October 7, which granted security agencies wide latitude to commit crimes beyond judicial oversight, including depriving Palestinian detainees of fair trial guarantees and other rights under international law, this law now explicitly permits the execution of Palestinian prisoners, effectively turning the occupation authorities into an apparatus for organized killing.

 

The provisions of the law passed by the Knesset reveal its punitive and retaliatory nature, targeting Palestinians exclusively. It also reflects the Knesset’s intention to deny judicial discretion, as it mandates the court to impose the death penalty compulsorily and allows the judgment to be issued by a majority of judges rather than unanimously, contrary to comparative legislative practices that grant judges discretion to assess the completion of criminal elements and the presence of intentionality.

 

The Hague Initiative for Law and Justice calls on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and intervene urgently to halt the implementation of this law and prevent any executions of Palestinian prisoners. The Initiative also urges all international and human rights organizations to intensify their efforts to counter this dangerous development and to pressure for the protection of prisoners’ rights and safeguarding them from any arbitrary punishment.