UK-based group urges sanctions on 62 Israeli lawmakers over death penalty bill

A UK-based advocacy group has urged the British government to impose sanctions on 62 Israeli lawmakers over legislation introducing the death penalty for certain offenses.

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) said Monday it submitted recommendations to the Foreign Office targeting the parliamentarians over alleged responsibility for serious human rights violations.

In its submission, the group argued that lawmakers’ support for the legislation could breach international law, citing concerns over the right to life and protections against cruel or degrading treatment. It called for sanctions under existing UK frameworks, including the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.

“The new penal law which exclusively and purposefully targets Palestinians, marks an extreme escalation in Israel’s genocidal policies against Palestinians and consolidates Israel’s apartheid judicial system, embedding racist discrimination against Palestinians into law and once again allowing Israel to violate international norms,” the group said.

The ICJP described the law as discriminatory against Palestinians and urged Britain to adopt what it called a “preventative” approach by acting before the measure is enforced.

“If the Foreign Office adopted ICJP’s sanctions recommendations, it would send a clear message,” the group said, adding that stronger action is needed beyond expressions of concern by Western governments.

Orlaith Roe, the group’s public affairs officer, said: “The UK has both the responsibility and the leverage to act.”

“In apartheid South Africa, 95% of people sentenced to death were Black. Thanks to this law, in apartheid Israel, 100% of people who will be sentenced to death will be Palestinians.

“The cost of inaction will, once again, be measured in Palestinian lives,” Roe said.

Israel’s Knesset passed the law in late March, making the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted of lethal attacks against Israelis.

Under the law, executions would be carried out by hanging by prison guards appointed by the Israeli Prison Service, with those involved granted anonymity and legal immunity.

The legislation also mandates transferring those sentenced to death to special detention facilities and restricting visits to authorized parties, while meetings with lawyers would be limited to video communication.

It allows courts to issue death sentences without a request from prosecutors and does not require a unanimous decision, permitting rulings by a simple majority.

The law also applies to military courts handling cases involving Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and grants the defense minister the right to present an opinion before the court.