Khaberni - On Monday, "Security" committee in the Israeli Knesset approved a bill that allows the execution of Palestinian prisoners.
Amjad al-Najjar, General Manager of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, on Monday, told "Al-Mamlaka" that the approval by the Knesset's "Security" committee of what is called the "Law for the Execution of Prisoners" represents "a dangerous step and a legal and humanitarian crime added to the record of the occupation," reflecting "the fascist and racist mentality that governs Netanyahu and Ben Gvir's government."
Al-Najjar added that the law is part of the total war and genocide waged by the occupation against the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip and the West Bank since October 7, 2023, pointing out that its aim is to legitimize the field executions practised by the occupation forces against Palestinians, and transform it into an official law that provides cover for organized execution processes."
He emphasized that the passage of such a law represents a blatant violation of international and humanitarian laws, including the Geneva Conventions which ensure protection for detainees and criminalize penalties based on discrimination or political revenge, noting that the move reflects the nature of the settler regime in Israel which only knows the logic of force and killing."
Al-Najjar called on the international community, UN committees, and global human rights institutions, to take an immediate and practical stance to stop this direction, and to hold the occupation government accountable for its crimes against Palestinian prisoners who are facing the risk of mass execution inside prisons today.
Israeli media reported that the Prime Minister of the occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for the approval of the bill, and that the committee approved it and referred it to the general assembly of the Knesset to discuss and vote on it in the upcoming legislative stages, expected to be presented for voting next Wednesday.
A parliamentary committee affiliated with the Knesset approved on September 29, the draft law "Execution of Palestinian Prisoners", in preparation for voting on it in the first reading.
The law is part of the agreements signed to form a government coalition led by the head of the "Likud" party, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the head of "Jewish Power", Itamar Ben Gvir, late in 2022.
The Law on the Execution of Prisoners is not new, as it has been proposed repeatedly over the past years, the last of which was in 2022 when extremist minister Ben Gvir reintroduced it with a series of amendments, until it was approved by the Knesset at the preliminary reading in March 2023.
The proposed law stipulates "the imposition of the death penalty on anyone who intentionally or due to negligence causes the death of an Israeli citizen motivated by racism or hatred and to harm Israel."
Approval in the first reading will allow the continuation of its advancement in the next Knesset, even if its legislation is not completed during the current session.
The legislation process in Israel involves several stages, starting with drafting a bill proposal by a Knesset member or a government committee, as explained on the Knesset's website.
In a meeting specifically held, the presidency of the Knesset approves the law proposals that reach it and presents them on the same day at the table of the general assembly of the Knesset for approval in the preliminary reading, after which they are discussed and it is decided whether to approve them or not, then it is passed to a parliamentary committee to discuss the proposal to prepare it for the first reading.
If the law proposals put forward are from the government and not from a Knesset member, as in the case with the execution law, or from the committees of the Knesset, they do not undergo preliminary deliberations and start from the first reading stage. The law proposals for the first reading are published in an official newsletter, then a vote is held to drop the laws or subject them to processing.
If the proposal is approved in the first reading, it passes to one of the Knesset's specialized committees to prepare it for the second and third reading. After the committee completes its deliberations, the laws undergo additional discussions in the general assembly, and then they are voted on in the second and third reading.
After the proposal is approved in the three readings, it becomes part of the law book of the State of Israel, it is published in "the records" after it is officially formulated, and it becomes effective.
The push to approve this extremist law is part of a genocide waged by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip and the West Bank since October 7 of the past year.
