Khaberni - On Wednesday, the occupied West Bank governorates went on strike in rejection of the Israeli Knesset's ratification of the law for the execution of prisoners.
The Knesset General Assembly ratified on Monday, in its second and third readings, the law for the execution of Palestinian prisoners, with 62 members voting in favor, 48 against, and one member abstaining.
The law enforces the death penalty for those "who intentionally cause the death of a person in the context of an act classified as a terrorist act". The draft also stipulates that no pardons can be granted in such cases, meaning the sentence will be final without the possibility of mitigation or alteration by subsequent political or judicial decision.
According to the text, the law includes mandatory imposition of the death penalty without the need for judicial consensus, and the execution of the death sentence by hanging through the Israeli Prison Service, to be carried out within a period not exceeding 90 days from its issuance.
The law includes a discriminatory mechanism for its implementation between Israel and the West Bank, providing that the death penalty is the primary punishment in the West Bank, while granting the military court exceptional authority to impose life imprisonment in "special circumstances", with the Minister of Security determining the judicial body's policy for prosecuting the accused.
The draft law also grants the Prime Minister the authority to petition the court for a deferral of execution in "special circumstances", with the total deferral period not exceeding 180 days, despite the initial sentence implementation deadline being 90 days from its confirmation.
Reactions continued on Tuesday following the Israeli Knesset's ratification of the law for the execution of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Some countries consider that the law contradicts international law rules that prohibit imposing control on occupied territories through legislative frameworks imposed by the occupying force, which is part of a systematic Israeli policy targeting the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on their national territory, in accordance with the two-state solution.
