“We called on Israel to respect its previous position suspending the death penalty”, European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said, adding that the law had caused “great concern” in the EU and marked “a clear step backward” on capital punishment.
He said the new legislation was discriminatory because it applied to Palestinians from the West Bank tried in military courts, while excluding Israeli citizens.
“As the EU, we call on Israel to respect its previous position suspending the death penalty, based on its obligations under international law and its commitment to democracy”, El Anouni said.
He did not say whether the EU would take specific measures in response, including suspending its association agreement with Israel or imposing sanctions on Israeli politicians behind the law.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also condemned the measure, calling it “not justice, but another step toward apartheid”.
“The same crime, a different punishment. This is not justice. This is another step toward apartheid. The world cannot remain silent”, Sanchez wrote on X.
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.
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Source: Polish Radio, PAP