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Rights Radar: Law Authorizing the Execution of Palestinian Prisoners Is a Crime Against Humanity That Must Not Be Allowed to Pass The Hague, April 8, 2026 Rights Radar for Human Rights, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, has condemned the Israeli Knesset’s passage of a law authorizing the execution of Palestinian prisoners. This constitutes a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions, which guarantee the protection of prisoners, their right to life, and their fundamental human rights. In addition to the suffering of more than 9,300 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 350 children and 66 women, enduring torture, ill-treatment, starvation, humiliation, and violation of their human dignity, the lives of future prisoners, including children and women, are at grave danger unless the international community intervenes immediately to prevent the implementation of this discriminatory law. The enactment of such a law represents a dangerous escalation and a legislative precedent that reflects the genocidal policies pursued by the occupation authorities against the Palestinians and establishes state terrorism based on discriminatory and racist ideologies. The passage of this law is a clear Israeli insistence on establishing a systematic policy of discrimination and racism, as it targets Palestinians while not applying to Israelis who commit serious crimes against them. Furthermore, the text, form, and content of this law reflect the brutal orientation of its drafters and supporters. It constitutes a severe embodiment of apartheid in its Israeli form. Although the law authorizing the execution of Palestinian prisoners is not retroactive and applies only from the date of its enactment, it lays the groundwork for the excessive and unchecked killing of future prisoners. On Monday, March 30, 2026, the Israeli Knesset passed this law, authorizing the execution of Palestinian prisoners based on accusations of involvement in or planning attacks. The general framework of this law stipulates that any person who “intentionally causes the death of another person with the intent to harm an Israeli citizen or resident, and with the intention of undermining the existence of the State of Israel, shall be punished by death or life imprisonment.” However, regarding Palestinians in the West Bank, the law mandates the death penalty as the prescribed punishment if Israeli military courts classify the act as a “terrorist attack.” In this framework, the Israeli occupation authorities can mandate the death penalty on any Palestinian citizen who kills an Israeli citizen, while simultaneously preventing its application to any Israeli who kills a Palestinian. Furthermore, the military justice system imposed by the occupation authorities in the occupied territories mandate the death penalty for any murder classified as a “terrorist act” even without a formal request from the prosecution. In addition, the Israeli law mandates the death penalty by hanging in civilian courts for the charge of “premeditated murder with the intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.” Those involved in carrying out executions are granted immunity from any legal accountability, while the law severely restricts the rights of the convicted, including access to legal counsel and family visits. In a further escalation, this law prohibits any commutation or reduction of the death penalty, mandating that the execution be carried out within 90 days of the ruling. Rights Radar supports the urgent petition submitted by legal organizations, foremost among them the Palestinian Human Rights and Legal Center “Adalah” (“Justice” in Arabic), to the Supreme Court, Israel’s highest judicial authority, demanding the repeal of the law “because it entails an absolute deprivation of the right to life and imposes cruel and inhuman punishment on those convicted under it.” Rights Radar also calls for utilizing the timeframe set by the Israeli Supreme Court, May 24, as the deadline for submitting the response to the petition demanding the repeal of the law authorizing the execution of Palestinian prisoners. Furthermore, Rights Radar emphasizes the urgent need for intervention by the international community, particularly human rights organizations and international bodies, to condemn and denounce the enactment of this law in the strongest terms, in order to protect the lives of Palestinian prisoners and uphold the principles of international law. Finally, Rights Radar urges governments and international bodies to intervene and take immediate and decisive action to prevent the Israeli occupation authorities from enacting this racist death penalty law. The execution of such a law would represent a grave violation of international law and constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity. To allow this to proceed would be an indelible stain on the history of international justice.