Eight countries including Egypt strongly condemned Israeli Knesset’s recent approval of a law allowing the imposition and de facto application of the death penalty against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar warned that the legislation marks “a dangerous escalation.”

The ministers cautioned against “ongoing Israeli measures that entrench a system of apartheid and a rejectionist discourse that denies the inalienable rights and the very existence of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

They stressed that the law represents a serious escalation, particularly given its “discriminatory application against Palestinian prisoners,” and stressed that such measures “risk further exacerbating tensions and undermining regional stability.”

‘Torture in Israeli Prisons’

The ministers also expressed deep concern over the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities, citing “credible reports of ongoing abuses, including torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, starvation, and the denial of basic rights.”

The statement added that such practices “reflect a broader pattern of violations against the Palestinian people.”

The ministers reiterated their rejection of “Israel’s racially discriminatory, oppressive, and aggressive policies targeting Palestinians.”

They called for restraint from measures that could further inflame tensions and underscored the importance of accountability.

The statement also urged the international community to intensify efforts to preserve stability and prevent further deterioration.

Broad Condemnation

Israel’s Knesset on March 30 approved a law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks in the occupied West Bank, making capital punishment the standard sentence in such cases.

The legislation stipulates that those sentenced will be held in isolated facilities with restricted contact, and executions carried out within 90 days, without provision for pardon.

Rights groups in Israel criticized the move as “an act of institutionalised discrimination and racist violence against Palestinians discriminatory.”

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said it filed an appeal against the law with Israel’s supreme court, according to The Guardian.

Italy, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany raised concern over “de facto discriminatory character” of the law.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has urged Israel to “promptly repeal” the law, calling it “deeply discriminatory” and “inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations, including in relation to the right to life.”