The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on Israeli authorities to withdraw a new draft law that would impose the death penalty on Palestinian detainees under certain circumstances, both in the occupied Palestinian territory and inside Israel.
In a statement issued late Friday, Türk urged Israel to halt plans to advance legislation that would introduce mandatory capital punishment applied exclusively to Palestinians.
He warned that Israel is “challenging international law on multiple levels” by pursuing such measures.
Türk said the wording of the proposed legislation—combined with public statements by Israeli politicians—strongly indicates that the law is intended to apply only to Palestinians, who are frequently convicted in proceedings that fail to meet international standards of fairness.
He stressed that the proposal raises “serious concerns” about discrimination against Palestinians and violations of their right to a fair trial, in addition to broader breaches of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The High Commissioner noted that the draft law also contradicts core principles of international humanitarian law governing criminal procedures and the treatment of protected populations living under military occupation, including the prohibition on imposing the death penalty in occupied territory.
Türk reiterated that the United Nations opposes capital punishment in all circumstances, stating that it is “difficult to reconcile the death penalty with human dignity, and it carries the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.”
He concluded that Israel’s proposal to introduce mandatory death sentences constitutes a violation of the right to life, a fundamental principle protected under international law.
