In a statement, Poland’s Foreign Ministry said it backed a position expressed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
“We oppose the death penalty in all cases and circumstances”, the ministry said. “It is completely unacceptable in a state governed by the rule of law to apply the death penalty in a way that could be considered discriminatory against persons of a particular nationality”.
“Due to particular historical sensitivity, we therefore call on Israel to maintain a moratorium on both carrying out executions and issuing death sentences”, it added.
The ministry said the latest instability in the Middle East was having “negative and tragic” effects worldwide and reiterated Poland’s view that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could only be resolved through negotiations conducted in good faith and in line with international law.
Kallas said Israel had long maintained a de facto moratorium on both executions and death sentences, setting “a good example in the region” despite its complex security situation.
She said the new law marked “a serious regression” from that practice and from Israel’s own commitments, adding: “We are deeply concerned by the law’s effectively discriminatory nature.”
The law, passed on Monday evening, requires execution by hanging within 90 days of a military court verdict, with no right to pardon, though it allows life imprisonment instead in unspecified “special circumstances”.
The measure applies only to Palestinians in the West Bank, who, unlike Jewish settlers, are subject to military courts run by the occupying authorities.
The law was also condemned by human rights groups, Palestinian leaders and European governments. Before the vote, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Britain said it was “de facto discriminatory” against Palestinians and warned it could undermine Israel’s democratic commitments.
Israel’s Association for Civil Rights said it had appealed the law to the country’s Supreme Court.
(jh)
Source: Polish Radio, PAP