By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israel prepares execution procedures for Palestinian prisoners under proposed death penalty law, drawing UN warnings and strong Palestinian condemnation.

Key Developments

• Dedicated execution complex being established inside prison system.
• Hanging selected as method, carried out by three guards simultaneously.
• Execution teams formed on a voluntary basis and trained.
• Sentences expected within 90 days of final ruling.
• Law later expands to West Bank prisoners.
• UN experts warn law violates right to life and equality before law.

Preparations Inside the Prison System

Israeli Channel 13 reported that the prison service has begun detailed preparations to implement the death penalty against Palestinian prisoners after the legislation passed its first reading in the Knesset.

Authorities are reportedly establishing a special execution compound and drafting operational procedures governing every stage of the process, from staffing to legal oversight. The plan includes training designated personnel and examining foreign models where capital punishment is practiced.

Executions would be carried out by hanging, with three prison guards pressing the activation mechanism simultaneously. Teams will be voluntary and subject to specialized preparation, while legal supervision will accompany each stage of implementation.

Sources cited in the report said the execution would be carried out within 90 days after a final judicial decision. Officials also intend to send a delegation to an East Asian country to study legal and administrative mechanisms used in comparable systems.

Who the Law Targets

Israeli sources said the legislation would first apply to prisoners accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023 events, particularly detainees classified as members of elite resistance units.

Later, it would extend to Palestinians convicted of attacks in the occupied West Bank.

The bill’s wording allows capital punishment even in cases where death was not intentional but interpreted as motivated by hostility toward Israelis. In practice, the framework applies only to Palestinians, not to Israeli perpetrators.

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International Legal Concerns

Twelve United Nations experts called on Israel to withdraw the legislation, warning that applying capital punishment under a military legal regime in occupied territory violates international law.

They stated the proposal “constitutes a violation of the right to life” and warned it would introduce discriminatory enforcement against Palestinians.

Human rights observers have also pointed to the dual legal structure in the West Bank, where Palestinians are prosecuted in military courts while Israeli settlers fall under civilian jurisdiction.

Palestinian Reaction

Palestinian resistance factions described the law as formalizing systematic killing.

Hamas said the measure “represents an extension of a racist and criminal policy and an attempt to legalize organized mass killing,” calling on international institutions to impose sanctions and inspect prison conditions.

Islamic Jihad called it “a dangerous criminal escalation within the ongoing genocide,” arguing the legislation demonstrates that the legal system itself functions as part of the repression structure.

The movement urged international prosecution of Israeli officials who supported the bill.

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Wider Implications

Legal experts warn that introducing executions into an already asymmetrical judicial framework would institutionalize unequal punishment under occupation.

Critics say the move marks a major escalation in detention policy, transforming imprisonment into a system that could now culminate in state-authorized execution.

The debate over the law is expected to intensify as it proceeds through further readings in the Knesset and potential judicial review, with international scrutiny likely to grow alongside domestic political pressure.

(QNN, AJA, PC)