What Can Be Done in Response to the Law of Executing Prisoners?

The danger of the Israeli Knesset's approval of the law to execute Palestinian prisoners lies in the fact that it is not an ordinary law sanctioning the death penalty for criminals, as is the case in many countries, but rather a racist law that applies only to Palestinians and is not in effect against Jewish Israelis even if they commit the most heinous crimes. Its threat also lies in the legal characterization that treats resistance fighters as "criminals" and "terrorists," in stark contrast to the characterization by international public law and international humanitarian law, which regard them as "legitimate fighters for freedom." This decision is part of the enemy's policy to change the nature of the conflict and assert the non-recognition that Israel is an occupying state, and that the Palestinian people are subjected to occupation and have the right to resist, as stipulated by all international laws and charters.

Unfortunately, the Palestinian, Arab, and international reactions are not commensurate with the severity of the event, not only due to preoccupation with the war on Iran and what is planned for the region, but also due to the weakness of international legal institutions specialized in this field. While we believe that it is not easy now, under the right-wing government and the presence of Trump, to force Israel to retract its decision, this does not mean surrender; rather, all possible avenues must be pursued, even to consider the feelings of the families of the targeted prisoners.

There can be actions to mobilize the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and human rights organizations in the West, and to bet on a serious European position (such as Spain's stance), or a strong mobilization of Palestinians inside before the Israeli elections, which may at least lead to postponing or freezing this decision and possibly canceling it entirely after Netanyahu's government ends. Especially since there is room for this; as the decision will not be implemented immediately, and there are numerous procedures that Israeli legal and judicial authorities must undertake to define the categories of prisoners to whom the law will apply, knowing that there are about 10,000 Palestinian prisoners.