In a statement, the ministry clarified that “the Israeli judicial system and the so-called Knesset are but additional tools for Israel to legitimize crimes and evade punishment,” considering the prisoners’ execution law as a decision for field execution outside the framework of the law.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset’s approval of the draft law in its first reading, which stipulates the imposition of the mandatory death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, describing this step as “official legislation of war crimes and ethnic cleansing under the guise of legal legitimacy.”
The ministry considered that this project represents a dangerous step aimed at continuing the policy of extermination and ethnic cleansing in a false legal form, considering it “an official declaration of committing crimes against humanity under a legislative cover.”
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light to approve the project, which was approved by the parliamentary committee and referred to the Knesset’s general body for voting. It is expected to be put to a vote the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, according to the Palestinian News Agency “Wafa”.
A parliamentary committee affiliated with the Knesset had approved the draft law on September 29, in preparation for voting on it in the first reading, within the framework of coalition agreements between “Netanyahu” and the head of the “Jewish Power” party “Itamar Ben Gvir” in late 2022.
It is worth mentioning that the draft law is not new, as it has been presented several times before, the last of which was in 2022 when “Ben Gvir” re-submitted it with new amendments, to be approved in the preliminary reading in March 2023.
Approval of the project in the first reading will allow it to continue to be pushed during the next legislative session, even if its legislation is not completed in the current session.
The process of enacting laws in Israel is subject to several stages, starting with the drafting of the law by a Knesset member or a government committee, then voting on it in the preliminary reading, followed by the three readings before the law becomes effective.
This development comes in light of Israel’s launch of a violent military campaign on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
