Organisations urge EU to act against Israeli law targeting Palestinian prisoners
Palestinians take part in a protest against the execution of the Israeli death penalty law for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks, at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City, March 31, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
International organisations called on the European Union to take “urgent measures” against a law approved by Israel’s parliament allowing the death penalty solely for Palestinian prisoners.
The appeal came in a joint statement issued by 31 civil society organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
#Israel's new death penalty bill entrenches #apartheid, violates international law and crosses EU red lines
30+ humanitarian & rights groups urge the EU to finally move from concerns to action, including the suspension of the 🇪🇺-🇮🇱 Association Agreement:https://t.co/8ZMSY94xxr pic.twitter.com/QH2sAAkOeI
“As humanitarian relief and human rights organisations that have been working for years in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, we are deeply shocked by the Knesset’s decision to pass a bill that would make the death penalty mandatory in the West Bank, applied only to Palestinians,” the statement said.
Although the law does not explicitly mention ethnicity or nationality, it “is effectively designed to target Palestinians”, the organisations noted.
They added that, since the EU considers the death penalty “cruel, inhumane, and incompatible with human dignity” under all circumstances, urgent action against the new Israeli law is necessary.
The groups said the law violates internationally recognised safeguards for those facing the death penalty, constituting a breach of the right to life, international humanitarian law, and human rights law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture.
They also noted that previous EU efforts to persuade Israel to change its policies have so far yielded no results.Also Read: Israel passes law mandating death penalty for Palestinian prisoners
On Monday, Israel’s Knesset approved a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, with executions to be carried out by hanging by guards appointed by the Israeli Prison Service, whose identities remain secret and protected from legal accountability.
Palestinians hold placards as they take part in a protest against the execution of the Israeli death penalty law for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, March 31, 2026.PHOTO: REUTERS
UN experts on controversial law
UN experts also condemned the new Israeli law enabling the death penalty against Palestinians, warning it constitutes a discriminatory system that violates international human rights law.
Read More: Pakistan, seven Muslim nations condemn Israel’s death penalty law for Palestinians
"Israel’s new law, effectively providing for the death penalty solely against Palestinians, constitutes a discriminatory regime of capital punishment and manifestly violates Israel’s obligations under international human rights law," the experts said in a statement.
"We condemn the Knesset’s adoption of this law and call for its immediate repeal," they said. "This law marks a grave escalation in Israel’s discriminatory oppression of Palestinians."Read More: Israel faces backlash over apartheid law
The statement was signed by UN special rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, the occupied Palestinian territory, counterterrorism and human rights, and violence against women and girls.
They warned that a death penalty applied in a discriminatory manner is incompatible with the rights to life and equality before the law.
The experts also raised concerns about provisions allowing military trials of civilians and execution by hanging, saying such measures are inconsistent with the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
"By reintroducing capital punishment in a system that targets solely Palestinians … this law institutionalises arbitrary and discriminatory deprivation of life," they said.
They noted that the law reinforces a dual legal system in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians are subject to military courts and reduced due process protections, unlike Israeli occupiers.
"A law that effectively singles out Palestinians for execution conveys that Palestinian lives are less worthy of legal protection," the experts said.
They urged Israel to repeal the law and called on its Supreme Court to invalidate the legislation, warning it could lead to "irreversible harm" and further entrench discrimination.