Israel Codifies Death Penalty for Palestinians, Sidestepping International Law
Palestinians across the occupied territories are now confronting the stark reality of a new Israeli law making the death penalty the default sentence for those convicted of lethal attacks. While purportedly applicable to all citizens, the law’s definition of such attacks as those 'negating Israel’s existence' effectively targets Palestinians, ensuring Jewish Israelis remain exempt. Mainstream
outlets, like Al-Monitor, dutifully report the fears of Palestinians that their relatives could be hanged without due process, but their framing subtly normalizes this development. They present the law as an internal Israeli legal matter, obscuring the fact that this applies to an occupied population denied sovereign rights and legal protections. There's no mention of the international conventions
Israel routinely flouts, or the long history of administrative detentions where Palestinians are held indefinitely without charge or trial, let alone due process for a death sentence. This isn't a new strategy. Israel has systematically dismantled Palestinian legal protections for decades, establishing a dual legal system where settlers operate under civilian law while Palestinians face military
courts with conviction rates exceeding 99%. In 1948, the nascent Israeli state executed Meir Tobianski under martial law for alleged treason, later confessing the 'trial' was a sham and posthumously rehabilitating him. Fast forward to 1967, and Israel began its occupation, systematically implementing policies designed to dispossess and disenfranchise Palestinians. The introduction of this death