One word from an Israeli court can decide the fate of Palestinian lives

On the 30th, the Israeli parliament passed a highly controversial bill, sparking discontent among multiple countries and international human rights organizations.

In simple terms, this law establishes two different pathways for executing the death penalty based on ethnic identity: Israeli military courts can sentence Palestinians in the West Bank—accused of "fatal attacks" or "terrorist acts" (i.e., any resistance against Israeli colonization is deemed a capital offense; how “terrorism” is defined is entirely at the discretion of Israeli courts)—to death without any possibility of pardon.

The two main points of controversy surrounding this bill are as follows: First, blatant racial discrimination. If an Israeli citizen commits similar offenses, they would face at most imprisonment—or even no trial at all—whereas Palestinians are subject to execution under this law, including Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye pointed out that after this bill’s passage, it effectively sentences every Palestinian currently imprisoned in Israeli jails to death.

Second, the West Bank is not part of Israel's territory, yet Israel attempts to impose its domestic laws on the region. Thus, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused this bill of “once again revealing the essence of Israel’s colonial system.”

Multiple countries and international organizations—including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council of Europe, Ireland, Italy, France, the UK, and Germany—have also issued condemnations and called on Israel to revoke the bill.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861173483849737/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.