Israel expands death penalty regime in the occupied West Bank

Israel expands death penalty regime in the occupied West Bank Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sun, 05/17/2026 - 22:53 Law mandates death penalty in military courts while excluding Israelis from prosecution under the same system Protesters hold placards reading 'Urgent and final appeal: Stop the execution of prisoners law before it’s too late' in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, 31 March 2026 (Zain Jaafar/AFP) Off Israel has enforced a new law mandating the death penalty for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, after the commander of its Central Command Major General Avi Bluth signed the military order required to activate the measure on Sunday. The order compels military courts to impose capital punishment in cases where a Palestinian is convicted of killing an Israeli occupation soldier or otherwise. Judges may only consider life imprisonment if they identify exceptional circumstances, making execution the default outcome. The legislation, approved in March, entrenches an apartheid style dual legal system that applies exclusively to Palestinians. Israeli citizens and residents remain subject to civilian courts, shielding them from the law’s provisions. The measure further restricts its scope to military courts, where Palestinians are prosecuted, reinforcing a system widely condemned for denying fair trial guarantees. One of the criteria for imposing the death penalty requires that the act be intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel or the authority of the military commander in the area”, a condition that overwhelmingly targets Palestinians resisting occupation. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gv...

Original source: Middle East Eye