Turkey’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned a new Israeli law introducing the death penalty for Palestinians, calling it racist, unlawful and part of what it described as Israel’s apartheid regime against the Palestinian people.
The ministry said the legislation was intended to apply “exclusively to Palestinians” and amounted to a continuation of policies of “denial, annihilation, and political executions.” It said the measure was “unlawful and null and void” and urged the international community, “foremost the United Nations,” to respond.
Israel’s parliament approved the law on March 30 by a vote of 62 to 48. The measure makes death by hanging the default punishment in military courts for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks.
The law was promoted by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and allows executions within 90 days of sentencing, with only limited room for judicial discretion. Legal challenges have already been filed in Israel, and rights groups say the measure violates international law and due process guarantees.
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, also called for the law to be repealed, saying it violates international humanitarian law and raises serious concerns because it does not allow for a pardon.