The Occupation Prison Administration Begins Preparations to Implement Death Sentences Against Palestinian Prisoners

SadaNews: The Occupation Prison Administration has begun preparations in recent days to apply the death penalty law against Palestinian prisoners convicted of armed operations, following its approval in the first reading.

According to what was revealed by Channel 13, the plan includes the establishment of a special facility for carrying out the sentences and the development of legal and regulatory protocols and procedures, alongside training specialized personnel and benefiting from the experiences of countries that implement similar penalties, as part of the practical preparations to activate the law if it is finally adopted.

According to the plan being prepared by the so-called "Israeli Prison Service", a separate complex will be created to implement the death sentences, referred to within the Israeli security system as the "Israeli Green Mile".

According to the details, the sentences will be carried out by hanging the sentenced individuals, with three guards pressing the execution button simultaneously.

The teams assigned to the task will be formed on a voluntary basis only, and the guards will undergo specialized training. It has been decided that the sentence will be executed within a period not exceeding 90 days from the issuance of the final judicial decision.

According to informed sources, the law is planned to be applied in its first phase to those convicted from elite unit members involved in the October 7, 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood events, to later expand to include those convicted of committing serious attacks in the West Bank.

As part of the preparations, a delegation from the Criminal Investigations Division is expected to travel soon to one of the Southeast Asian countries to study the legal and regulatory aspects related to the implementation of the death penalty and benefit from its experiences in this field.

The Israeli Prison Service clarified that the process is complex and will be accompanied by precise legal oversight, indicating that the actual execution will be carried out according to the provisions of the law and the decisions of the competent courts, and based on directives issued by the political level.

The draft law states that "anyone who intentionally or unintentionally causes the death of an Israeli citizen for racist reasons or out of hostility towards a group, and with the aim of harming the State of Israel and the Jewish people on their land, is subject to the death penalty".

With this wording, the law allows Israel to impose the death penalty on any Palestinian citizen who kills an Israeli, while it cannot, under any circumstances, be applied to an Israeli who kills a Palestinian.

Last November, the Knesset approved the draft law for the execution of prisoners in the first reading, with a majority of 39 votes to 16, pushed by far-right parties, led by the "Otzma Yehudit" party, headed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.