‘A dangerous escalation’: 8 Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, condemn Israel’s new death penalty law

Eight Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, on Thursday strongly condemned Israel’s move to pass a law making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks.

The joint statement, shared by the Foreign Office, was released by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The statement said that the countries “strongly condemned the Israeli occupying power’s enactment of a law in its Parliament (Knesset), that allows the imposition of the death penalty in the occupied West Bank and its de facto application against Palestinians”.

They warned against the “increasingly discriminatory, escalating Israeli practices that entrench a system of apartheid and a rejectionist discourse that denies the inalienable rights and the very existence of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

“The ministers underscored that this legislation constitutes a dangerous escalation, particularly given its discriminatory application against Palestinian prisoners, and stressed that such measures risk further exacerbating tensions and undermining regional stability,” the joint statement said.

“The ministers also expressed deep concern over the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, warning of mounting risks amid credible reports of ongoing abuses, including torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, starvation, and the denial of basic rights,” it said.

“They emphasised that these practices reflect a broader pattern of violations against the Palestinian people,” it stated, adding that the ministers also reaffirmed their opposition to Israel’s racially discriminatory, oppressive, and aggressive policies targeting Palestinians.

“The ministers further emphasised the urgent need to refrain from measures imposed by the occupying power that risk further inflaming tensions on the ground. They stressed the importance of ensuring accountability and called for strengthened international efforts to uphold stability and prevent further deterioration,” it concluded.

Under the new law, passed in parliament late Monday, Palestinians in the West Bank convicted by military courts of carrying out deadly attacks classified as “terrorism” will face the death penalty as a default sentence.

Because Palestinians in the territory are automatically tried in Israeli military courts, the measure effectively creates a separate and harsher legal track.

In Israeli civilian courts, the law allows for either death or life imprisonment for those convicted of killing with intent to harm the state. While the law does not provide for retroactive application, critics say the distinction underscores a system of unequal justice.

The law has also drawn criticism from Western allies of Israel at a time when it is already under scrutiny for increasing violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The European Union and Germany had both expressed concern about the move, which was also opposed by Canada.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to head off backlash, has asked for some elements of the legislation to be softened, Israeli media reported.

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Additional input from Reuters and AFP