Business Recorder
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday condemned the Israeli occupying power’s enactment of a law in its Parliament (Knesset), that allows the imposition of the death penalty in the occupied West Bank and its de facto application against Palestinians. According to the Foreign Office (FO), the ministers warned against the increasingly discriminatory, escalating Israeli practices 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 (OPT). Israel’s parliament passed a law on Monday making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks, fulfilling a pledge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies. The law would only apply to Israelis convicted of murder whose attacks aimed at “ending Israel’s existence”, meaning it would mete out the death penalty for Palestinians but not for Jewish Israelis who committed similar crimes, critics say. The legislation has drawn international criticism of Israel, which is already under scrutiny for increasing violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and its war in Gaza. The foreign ministers of eigh Muslim states underscored that this legislation constitutes a dangerous escalation, particularly given its discriminatory application against Palestinian prisoners, and stressed that such measures risk further exacerbating tensions and undermining regional stability. The foreign ministers also expressed deep concern over the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, warning of mounting risks amid credible reports of ongoing abuses, including torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, starvation, and the denial of basic rights. They emphasised that these practices reflect a broader pattern of violations against the Palestinian people. They reaffirmed their opposition to Israel’s racially discriminatory, oppressive, and aggressive policies targeting Palestinians. The ministers further emphasised the urgent need to refrain from measures imposed by the occupying power that risk further inflaming tensions on the ground. They stressed the importance of ensuring accountability and called for strengthened international efforts to uphold stability and prevent further deterioration.
Go to News Site