Four major European nations have issued a joint condemnation of Israeli legislation that would significantly expand the application of the death penalty, warning that the proposed law contains discriminatory provisions that could disproportionately target Palestinians.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom released a statement expressing their opposition to the bill, which is scheduled for its second and third readings in the Israeli Knesset on Monday. The legislation, championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, would introduce mandatory death sentences for certain offenses.
We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel's commitments with regards to democratic principles
Joint statement by European foreign ministers — Al Jazeera
The proposed amendments would create what UN experts describe as a two-track system for capital punishment. In the occupied West Bank, military courts would impose death sentences under military law for terrorist acts causing death, even if unintended. Meanwhile, in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, the death penalty would continue to apply only under Israeli criminal law for the intentional killing of Israeli citizens or residents.
Israel has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1962, when Nazi Holocaust perpetrator Adolf Eichmann was executed. While the death penalty technically exists for a small number of crimes, no executions have been carried out in over six decades.
Al Jazeera frames the story as part of Israel's broader discriminatory policies against Palestinians. The outlet emphasizes the apartheid context and connects the legislation to ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank.