![\"Text](\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Listen to this article<\/p>\n
Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada is condemning Israel’s new death penalty law, saying it “systematically targets Palestinians.”<\/p>\n
“This discriminatory law adds to a growing list of actions which enables illegal settler violence while dehumanizing the Palestinian people,” Anand wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“Canada unequivocally opposes its application. We reaffirm our commitment to human rights and the global movement to abolish the death penalty.”<\/p>\n
Israel’s Knesset \u2014 the country’s parliament \u2014 passed the law on Monday, approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.<\/p>\n
The legislation orders West Bank military courts \u2014 which try only Palestinians \u2014 to make the death penalty by hanging the default sentence for those convicted, except in special circumstances.<\/p>\n
The law also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment on its own citizens. It is not retroactive and will apply only to future cases.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775052795_155_default.jpg\")
A close up of the noose lapel pin worn by far-right members of the Israeli Knesset to hearings on the proposed death penalty bill. (Office of Itamar Ben-Gvir)<\/p>\n
The Israeli embassy released a statement on social media Tuesday saying “Canada is intervening in the midst of a sovereign state\u2019s legislative process.”<\/p>\n
“Israel is facing murderous and brutal terrorism on a scale unmatched anywhere in the world,” the statement on X read. <\/p>\n
“Israeli law already permits capital punishment, and under the proposed new law, discretion over its application will remain with the courts.”<\/p>\n
Australia, Germany, the U.K. and France put out a joint statement Tuesday that also panned the new law.<\/p>\n
“We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel\u2019s commitments with regards to democratic principles,” the joint statement said.<\/p>\n
Ireland’s foreign minister put out a similar condemnation on Monday.<\/p>\n
Critics include Israelis and Palestinians, international rights groups and the United Nations. They say that it establishes a hierarchy between Israeli court systems in a way that will confine the death penalty to Palestinians convicted of murdering Jewish citizens of Israel.<\/p>\n
The law is set to take effect in 30 days but its implementation could be delayed by pending court proceedings at Israel’s highest tribunal. <\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775052795_477_default.jpg\")
Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, centre, and other lawmakers celebrate after Israel’s parliament passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis on Monday. (Itay Cohen\/The Associated Press)<\/p>\n
The bill’s passage marked the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far right to escalate punishment for Palestinians convicted of offenses against Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the chamber to vote yes in person.<\/p>\n
When the measure passed, the chamber erupted into cheers. Israel’s firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who spearheaded the push for the legislation, brandished a bottle in celebration.<\/p>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775052796_913_default.jpg\")
Police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators in Jerusalem during a protest against the decision by Israel’s parliament to approve the death penalty on Tuesday. (Mahmoud Illean\/The Associated Press)<\/p>\n