Ladies and Gentlemen in International Legal and Humanitarian Institutions,
Dear Colleagues in International Party, Political, and Parliamentary Institutions,

We address you through this urgent letter following the approval by the Israeli Knesset of a law granting Israeli courts the authority to issue death sentences against Palestinian prisoners, without providing genuine opportunities for them to defend themselves.
Yesterday, the Israeli Knesset approved this law, disregarding the rejection expressed by many countries around the world and by international human rights and humanitarian organizations, given the clear violation it represents of the most basic principles of justice. The motivations behind this law do not appear to stem from legal considerations, but rather from political and retaliatory motives. This was clearly expressed by one of the most prominent supporters of the law, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who stated after its approval: “They will be executed one by one.”
This law represents an unprecedented development in the history of Israeli legislation. The death penalty is not applied in Israeli law against Jews and has been carried out only once. Therefore, this is not merely a new legislative measure, but rather the institutionalization of a discriminatory and racist policy that grants Israeli courts broad powers to execute Palestinians under legal cover, even in cases based merely on suspicion.
The discriminatory nature of this law is further demonstrated by the fact that it specifically targets Palestinians, while containing no equivalent provision that applies to settlers or Jewish perpetrators of crimes, even in cases where Palestinians are deliberately killed. Moreover, the law grants the Israeli Minister of National Security powers that allow the implementation of the death penalty without the need for a request from the public prosecution or collective approval from military judges, further increasing concerns that it will be used as a political and judicial tool against Palestinian prisoners.
In light of all this, the Legal Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine wishes to emphasize the following:

First: The current Israeli government is formed by a coalition that is inherently fascist in nature. It relies on parties that consider settlement expansion a central option for resolving the conflict with the Palestinian people, alongside religious parties and extreme right-wing forces that adopt rhetoric denying the existence of the Palestinian people and base their positions on rigid religious ideologies and historical myths and narratives.

Second: The judicial system in Israel was fundamentally designed in a way that favors Israelis. This is reflected in the statements of the law’s supporters who promote the notion that “a Jew cannot be a terrorist.” Available data indicate that Israel and its military courts have closed numerous cases of crimes committed by Jews against Palestinians over past decades without filing any charges.

Third: This law comes within the context of a series of laws adopted by the Knesset in recent years that directly target Palestinians, including the Nation-State Law and amendments introduced to the judicial system, which is already characterized by discrimination and bias in its treatment of Palestinians.
International silence toward these policies has, in practice, sent a message encouraging Israel to continue along this path. The danger of this law is not limited to being merely another racist piece of legislation; it also extends to the serious human rights violations that may result from its implementation.
Therefore, what is required from the international community—governments, parliaments, political forces, and human rights organizations—is not limited to condemnation alone, but must include practical measures, including the imposition of direct sanctions on Israel, efforts to politically and diplomatically isolate it at the international level, and holding accountable those responsible for this law.
We also call upon the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United Nations, and all regional parliamentary frameworks to condemn the Israeli Knesset for passing this law that legalizes killing under legal cover, and to consider suspending or terminating Israel’s membership in these institutions.
At the same time, international courts, legal bodies, and human rights organizations are now, more than ever, called upon to act to provide protection for Palestinian prisoners and to ensure their full rights in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, as well as to seriously and effectively monitor Israel’s practices against them.