EU threatens to impose sanctions on Israel if the law to execute Palestinian prisoners is approved

Translation by SadaNews - Hebrew Channel 12 revealed on Monday evening that senior European officials have conducted intensive discussions in recent days with their Israeli counterparts at the highest levels to stop the bill that imposes the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners accused of killing Israelis, which is expected to be voted on in the Knesset tonight. 

European officials conveyed to their Israeli counterparts in messages: "Israel is slipping into a moral abyss, and we cannot stand idle... There is not even room for appeal against this law which creates two different judicial systems for Jews and Arabs," the channel reported and translated by SadaNews.

The main sanctions being considered in Europe include the cancellation of the partnership agreement or the suspension of certain parts of it, such as trade agreements, technological, economic, and scientific cooperation, and the suspension of political dialogue.

 Knesset member Merav Ben Ari, Israel's representative to the European Parliament, received this announcement.

The channel speculated that if the death penalty legislation is approved, even in a softened form, the process of suspending Israel's membership in the Council of Europe and its parliamentary assembly would begin, with the preliminary discussion scheduled for April 22 as a public discussion regarding the abolition of the death penalty. Estimates indicate that a vote and final decision on this matter is expected during the summer session of the Council of Europe from June 22-26, making the process relatively swift.

This will lead to an immediate and comprehensive suspension of Israel and the Knesset from all activities of the organization and the European parliamentary assembly, and messages regarding this have been sent to the Knesset speaker from the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe and the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly.