US lawmaker calls Israel's death penalty bill 'next step in the genocide'

ISTANBUL

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib condemned an Israeli bill that would mandate the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, calling it “the next step in the genocide of Palestinians” and an act of apartheid.

“Mass execution by hanging, solely on racial lines” constitutes apartheid Tlaib said on the US social media platform X, adding that Palestinians are “already systematically tortured in Israeli prisons.”

Israel has sharply escalated its violations against Palestinian detainees since the start of the war in October 2023, particularly those from Gaza, including starvation, torture, sexual violence, and systematic denial of medical care, according to rights groups.

With the bill, a death sentence could be imposed without a request from the prosecution and by a simple majority rather than unanimously.

Military courts governing Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank would also be empowered to impose the penalty, with the defense minister granted the right to submit an opinion to the judicial panel.

For Palestinians under Israeli occupation sentenced to death, the bill would eliminate avenues for pardon or appeal, while those tried inside Israel could have the sentence commuted to life imprisonment.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the legislation, calling it “a historic day.”