\u201cNor will they deter them from continuing their legitimate \u200bstruggle for freedom, independence, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/F260330OBH400-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tNational Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrates the passing of the death penalty law for Palestinian terrorists in the Knesset, March 30, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
His office further stated that the legislation violates international and humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, saying that it \u201cconstitutes a war crime against the Palestinian people and comes in the context of policies and steps of escalation that the occupation government is taking in all Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, the West\u00a0 Bank and East Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abbas\u2019s office thanked European countries for also condemning the law and called for imposing sanctions on Israel for its treatment of Palestinian prisoners<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a post on X, the PA\u2019s Foreign Ministry said that \u201cIsrael has no sovereignty over Palestinian land,\u201d adding, \u201cThis law once again reveals the nature of the Israeli colonial system, which seeks to legitimize extrajudicial killing under legislative cover.\u201d<\/p>\n Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad called on Palestinians to carry out attacks in retaliation for the law.<\/p>\n In a statement following its passage, Hamas said the measure \u201creflects the bloody nature of the occupation and its approach based on murder and terror,\u201d adding that it exposes Israel\u2019s claims of supporting human rights as false.<\/p>\n \u201cThis fascist law embodies the mentality of criminal gangs and their bloodthirstiness, and sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the lives of our prisoners in the occupation\u2019s prisons,\u201d Hamas\u2019s statement added.<\/p>\n \t Hamas threatened Israel, saying it will \u201cbe met with a response befitting the magnitude of their crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jordanian Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation, calling the legislation a \u201cviolation of international law and humanitarian law.\u201d<\/p>\n Rights groups also condemned the law.<\/p>\n The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights<\/a> (PCHR) wrote on X that the law \u201ctargets Palestinians and entrenches Israel\u2019s long-standing policy of extrajudicial execution under the guise of law, in clear violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.\u201d<\/p>\n The PCHR called on the international community to take action against Israel, saying, \u201cSilence and inaction will only further deepen impunity and erode the rules-based international order.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to the New York Times<\/a>, Suhad Bishara, a lawyer with the Palestinian rights group Adalah, said, \u201cBy design, this legislation exclusively targets Palestinians, violating the fundamental principle of equality and prohibition on racial discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier on Monday, ahead of the vote, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Britain urged Israeli lawmakers to abandon the measure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel\u2019s commitments to democratic principles,\u201d the ministers said in a statement shared by the German Foreign Office.<\/p>\n \t After the law was passed, the US notably refrained from issuing a condemnation, something that would have been expected under most previous administrations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States respects Israel\u2019s sovereign right to determine its own laws and penalties for individuals convicted of terrorism,\u201d a State Department spokesperson said in a statement sent to reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe trust that any such measures will be carried out with a fair trial and respect for all applicable fair trial guarantees and protections,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n In Israel, the Arab-majority Hadash\u2013Ta\u2019al party said in a statement, \u201cThis law is not merely a punitive measure \u2014 it is an official declaration of the institutionalization of apartheid and racism, and the transformation of the legal system into yet another tool in the violent political repression of the Palestinian people.\u201d<\/p>\n The Association for Civil Rights in Israel also announced that it would petition the court, arguing that the Knesset does not have the authority to pass legislation that applies to the Palestinian population of the West Bank since Israel does not formally hold sovereignty there, and because under the relevant international laws, which Israel largely recognizes, legislative authority lies with the military commander.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the Knesset has previously legislated to apply Israeli law to Israeli settlers, this law is categorically different: it applies to the protected Palestinian population,\u201d ACRI said in a statement.<\/p>\n Ben Gvir, who was \u200bconvicted in 2007 of racist incitement against Arabs and support for the Kach group , which is on Israeli and US terrorism blacklists, \u200bhas overseen an overhaul of prisons that has led to allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners.<\/p>\n He made capital punishment for Palestinian terrorists a main pledge in his 2022 election campaign and since taking office has publicly backed some Israeli soldiers being probed for suspected excessive \u200bforce against Palestinians.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>
\n\t\tScreengrabs of a video posted to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir\u2019s Telegram page on October 31, 2025, showing him next to tied-up Palestinian prisoners. (Telegram)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/F250506CG50-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tHandcuffed Hamas terrorists sit next to a picture of Palestinians walking past destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip and an Israeli flag, in a prison in central Israel, May 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
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