DaysofPal- The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy has condemned the Israeli army minister’s approval of measures allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank, describing the move as a dangerous escalation that seeks to formalize Israel’s longstanding policy of extrajudicial killings.
In a statement, the Center said the decision reflects a shift from “field executions” carried out in practice to attempts at granting such actions official legal and political cover within a system driven by revenge and racial discrimination against Palestinians.
The organization stressed that the measure constitutes a grave violation of international law, particularly international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which guarantee the protection of detainees and prisoners, including their right to life, fair trial standards, and protection from cruel or degrading punishment.
According to the Center, the decision cannot be separated from the broader political climate inside Israel, where Palestinian prisoners have increasingly become the focus of political competition and incitement among far-right factions. It argued that Israeli leaders are exploiting the issue of prisoners to gain support from extremist political currents amid the growing spread of fascist rhetoric within Israeli institutions and government circles.
The statement further accused the Israeli army minister of direct political and operational involvement in acts of genocide and widespread crimes against the Palestinian people. Rather than being granted authority to promote laws concerning prisoners, the Center argued, Israeli officials implicated in such actions should instead face international investigations and accountability proceedings.
The Center rejected Israeli claims that the move is linked to security concerns, insisting that the proposed executions are intended as a retaliatory policy aimed at terrorizing Palestinians, weakening prisoners’ morale, and deepening the system of collective punishment. It warned that the law would transform the legal system into a mechanism for institutionalized killing within a racist colonial framework.
The organization also warned that Israel is steadily advancing laws and practices it characterized as fascist in nature, beginning with the incitement against prisoners and the stripping of their rights, continuing through alleged abuses and deaths inside prisons, and now extending to efforts to establish executions as an officially sanctioned punishment with broad political backing.
The Center said the approval risks encouraging further crimes against Palestinian prisoners and detainees while paving the way for a wider escalation in extrajudicial killings, particularly in light of a culture of impunity within Israel’s military and security establishment.
Calling for urgent international action, the Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy urged the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, international human rights organizations, and states parties to the Geneva Conventions to firmly reject the measure and work to halt its implementation. The organization described the move as a direct threat to prisoners’ lives and a serious breach of international law.
The statement concluded with a warning that continued international silence would embolden Israel to proceed further with policies targeting Palestinian prisoners, turning prisons into arenas for organized killing and political revenge.
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