UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed serious concerns over a series of draft proposals before Israel’s Knesset, warning that they could lead to discrimination, violations of due process, and breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law. He emphasized that the United Nations opposes the death penalty under all circumstances, noting that it is difficult to reconcile with human dignity and carries the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.
The proposals aim to lower the threshold for applying capital punishment and introduce mandatory death sentences, leaving courts no discretion. Mr. Türk stated that these measures violate the right to life and are inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He also highlighted the discriminatory nature of the proposals, which appear intended to apply exclusively to Palestinians, who are often convicted following unfair trials.
The proposed changes would amend military law governing the occupied West Bank, requiring military courts to impose mandatory death sentences for all convictions related to intentional killings in the territory. In addition, Israel’s Penal Law would be amended to allow the death penalty for the intentional killing of Israelis in acts of terror. These changes could retroactively apply capital punishment to those convicted in connection with the attacks on 7 October 2023, violating the principle of legality under international law.
The 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Israeli citizens and others, with over 250 taken hostage. In response, the Israeli military offensive reportedly killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and left many more injured. While the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in effect, allowing aid efforts to scale up, medical services are insufficient, and the broader peace plan has yet to progress.
