Eight Muslim-majority countries have “strongly condemned” Israel's decision to pass a law making the death penalty by hanging the standard punishment for Palestinians convicted by military tribunals of deadly attacks, a joint statement by Pakistan said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
The law, passed by Israel's parliament on Monday, would apply to Israelis convicted of crimes whose attacks are aimed at “destroying Israel's existence,” meaning it would apply the death penalty to Palestinians but not to Israeli Jews who have committed similar crimes, critics say.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the legislation as a violation of international law and a doomed attempt to intimidate Palestinians.
Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said the law constituted a “dangerous escalation” and stressed the “urgent need to refrain from measures” that risk further inflaming tensions on the ground, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.
“They emphasized the importance of ensuring accountability and called for strengthened international efforts to maintain stability and prevent further deterioration,” the statement said.
The Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan also called the legislation a “continuation of oppression”, calling on “international organizations and influential countries to take immediate and practical measures to prevent such actions”.
The law has drawn similar criticism from Israel's Western allies, at a time when the country is already under international scrutiny over increasing violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The European Union and Germany have expressed concern about the measure, which Canada has also criticized.
Supporters of the law argue that the death penalty will deter Palestinians from carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis or from attempting kidnappings in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli prisons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to prevent backlash, has called for some elements of the legislation to be watered down, according to Israeli media.
