8 Muslim-majority countries condemn Israel’s new death penalty law
Eight Muslim-majority countries “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, a joint statement released by Pakistan said on Thursday.
Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, in the statement, also emphasized the “urgent need ?to ?refrain from measures” that risk further inflaming tensions on the ground.
Prior to Israel passing the new law, foreign ministers from Australia, Germany, France, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom expressed “deep concern” over the proposed legislation.
In a joint statement, they warning it could be discriminatory and risk undermining Israel’s democratic commitments.
They reiterated their opposition to capital punishment, describing it as “inhumane and degrading” with no proven deterrent effect, and urged Israeli lawmakers to abandon the bill.
“They stressed the importance of ensuring accountability and called for strengthened international efforts to uphold stability and prevent further deterioration,” it said.
The Taliban government in neighbouring Afghanistan also termed the legislation a “continuation of oppression”, calling on “international organizations and influential countries to take immediate and practical steps to prevent such actions”.
The law has drawn similar criticism from Western allies of Israel at a time when the country 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.
Supporters of the law argue that the death penalty will deter Palestinians from carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis or attempting kidnappings with the aim of affecting swap deals for Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons.
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.
