Prisoner's Club warns of 'death legislation': Prisoner execution law entrenches Israeli racism

The head of the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, Abdullah Al-Zghari, warned of the serious repercussions of the prisoner execution law recently approved by the Israeli Knesset. Al-Zghari affirmed that this legislation directly threatens the lives of thousands of detainees and reflects the extent of racism that has spread throughout the political and legal systems of the occupation.

Al-Zghari explained in press statements that the approval of such laws represents official legislation for direct killing operations against Palestinians, as the law exclusively targets them. He described this step as an entrenchment of the racial discrimination practiced by the occupation authorities against prisoners in an attempt to legitimize their physical liquidation.

The head of the Prisoner's Club called on international organizations, United Nations bodies, and the Human Rights Council to take urgent action to confront these grave violations. He pointed out that continued international silence encourages the occupation to proceed with its retaliatory policies, despite the rejection of these unjust laws by some European countries.

The new law approved by the Israeli parliament stipulates the execution by hanging of Palestinian prisoners, while providing full legal protection for the executors. The law also grants prison guards who carry out the sentences anonymity, which closes the door to any future legal prosecution against them.

One of the most prominent dangers of this legislation is that it allows for the issuance of death sentences without the need for a request from the public prosecution, and it does not require unanimity among judges to make the decision. The law is satisfied with a simple majority to approve the sentence, which also applies to military courts that already lack fair trial standards in the West Bank.

Al-Zghari indicated that Palestinian prisoners are currently going through the most difficult and dangerous phase in decades, especially after the radical transformations witnessed in prisons after October 8, 2023. The pace of systematic physical and psychological torture has escalated, and detention centers have turned into arenas for collective revenge against male and female prisoners.

The head of the club spoke about the widespread spread of infectious skin diseases among detainees, especially scabies, as a result of the deliberate starvation and overcrowding policy. He affirmed that the prison administration deprives prisoners of the most basic medical care, which has turned their daily lives into a real hell that threatens their physical safety.

Al-Zghari drew attention to the incitement role played by the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, describing him as a sadistic, bloodthirsty model. He affirmed that Ben-Gvir personally supervises the repression and incursions, and seeks to impose a new reality inside prisons aimed at stripping prisoners of all their basic human rights.

Human rights statistics indicate the presence of more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, including 350 children and 73 women living in harsh conditions. The number of administrative detainees is strategically increasing, with hundreds being held without clear charges or legal trial, in flagrant violation of international conventions.

Human rights sources confirmed that the occupation continues to deprive prisoners of family visits, and also obstructs the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in monitoring their health and legal conditions. This systematic isolation aims to isolate prisoners away from international oversight, which facilitates daily abuse and torture against them.

Israeli figures, including former judges and Nobel laureates, had previously opposed the law, considering it a moral stain on the history of the judiciary. Despite these limited internal criticisms, the far-right government insisted on passing the law to strengthen its repressive policies against the Palestinian people.

Al-Zghari stressed that the continuation of these policies represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions concerned with the protection of prisoners and detainees. He called on the international community to take practical and urgent steps to save the lives of detainees before it is too late, stressing that silence is complicity in the crime.

These legislative developments coincide with the ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, which has left tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded and widespread destruction of infrastructure. Observers believe that the execution law is part of a comprehensive war waged by the occupation on the Palestinian presence in all its locations.

In conclusion of his statements, the head of the Prisoner's Club affirmed that the Palestinian people will not be broken by these racist laws, and that the issue of prisoners will remain at the top of national priorities. He called for escalating popular and legal activities to support prisoners in their battle against the 'death legislation' that the occupation system is trying to impose.

The approval of the execution law represents a direct death sentence for detained Palestinians, exclusively targeting them within a racist system that entrenches discrimination against them.