The US State Department said in a statement on Monday that the United States "respects Israel's sovereign right to determine its own laws and punishments for individuals convicted of terrorism," adding that Washington is "confident that such measures will be applied within a framework that respects the principles of a fair trial."
The Knesset had approved a bill stipulating the imposition of the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, whereby the sentence would be carried out by hanging by guards appointed by the Israeli Prison Service, with the guards being granted anonymity and legal immunity, in addition to transferring the convicts to special detention centers and restricting their visits, so that their meetings with lawyers would be limited to video calls.
The law includes provisions that expand the powers to issue death sentences, as it does not require a request from the Public Prosecution or a consensus within the court body, but rather the decision can be taken by a simple majority, and it also includes military courts in the occupied West Bank.
The law grants the Minister of Defense the right to express an opinion, as well as closing the door to appeals, with the possibility of reducing the sentence to life imprisonment in some cases within Israel.
The law sparked angry international reactions, with Britain, France, Germany and Italy expressing "deep concern" about the move, arguing that it could undermine Israel's commitments to democratic principles.
The law also faced internal criticism, with some 1,200 Israeli figures, including Nobel laureates, officials and former judges, declaring their strong opposition to it, describing it as a "moral stain".
More than 9,300 Palestinians, including 350 children and 66 women, are held in Israeli prisons. According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, they suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has led to the death of dozens of them.
Since October 2023, Israel has escalated its measures against Palestinian prisoners, coinciding with its war on the Gaza Strip with American support, which resulted in more than 72,000 martyrs and 172,000 wounded, most of whom were children and women.
