March 31, 2026 | By: Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine Coalition (GSPP)
*The International Peace Bureau is a member of the GSPP.
The Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine Coalition of over 100 organizations across four continents expresses grave concern regarding legislative and political efforts within the Knesset and the Government of Israel to expand the use of the death penalty for individuals convicted of murder or acts defined as terrorism.
We call on Israeli authorities to reject and or repeal any legislation that broadens the use of capital punishment. Such a measure would represent a serious violation of the global movement toward abolition and would undermine fundamental human rights protections, particularly the right to life.
“By reintroducing capital punishment in a system that targets solely Palestinians, despite Israel’s prior abolition of the death penalty for murder and its long-standing de facto moratorium on executions, this law institutionalises arbitrary and discriminatory deprivation of life,” they said.
International human rights law places strict limitations on the use of the death penalty. The United Nations has repeatedly called for a global moratorium on executions (UN General Assembly, 2007, Res. A/RES/62/149). The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966) recognizes the right to life as a foundational human right while urging states to move toward abolition. Today, the majority of countries worldwide have either abolished capital punishment in law or ceased to carry out executions in practice (Amnesty International, 2025).
Expanding the death penalty in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict raises particularly serious concerns. The proposed legislation would apply only to Palestinians—primarily Palestinian Muslims and Christians—while not applying to Israeli Jews, creating a system of discriminatory application of the law. Palestinians in the occupied territories are already subject to a system of military courts widely criticized by international legal experts and human rights organizations for failing to meet international standards of due process and fair trial protections (Human Rights Watch, 202 HYPERLINK “https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/08/use-force-occupied-west-bank” HYPERLINK “https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/08/use-force-occupied-west-bank” HYPERLINK “https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/08/use-force-occupied-west-bank”4; B’Tselem, 2024). .” In this sense, the expansion of the death penalty would further entrench a discriminatory legal regime widely recognized by human rights organizations as constituting apartheid under international law.
Capital punishment is irreversible and incompatible with the protection of human dignity. Evidence consistently shows it does not deter violence nor contribute to genuine security (World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, 202 HYPERLINK “https://worldcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EN_JM2024_-Detailed-Factsheet_Final.pdf” HYPERLINK “https://worldcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EN_JM2024_-Detailed-Factsheet_Final.pdf” HYPERLINK “https://worldcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EN_JM2024_-Detailed-Factsheet_Final.pdf”4-2025). In deeply polarized and conflict-affected contexts, executions risk entrenching cycles of retaliation and grievance rather than advancing justice or peace.
At a time when respect for international humanitarian law and human rights is urgently needed to protect civilians on all sides, expanding the use of the death penalty would send a dangerous signal that state-sanctioned killing is an acceptable response to violence.
In light of these concerns, we demand the following urgent actions:
- Immediate and unequivocal rejection by the Israeli government and Knesset of any legislation expanding the death penalty. Failure to comply will constitute a direct violation of international human rights obligations.
- Immediate suspension of all bilateral agreements, cooperation programs, and joint initiatives with Israel by states and international institutions that fail to uphold international human rights standards, including arms deals, trade preferences, security cooperation, and research partnerships. Continued engagement under current conditions will be viewed as complicity in human rights violations.
- For European Union member states: activation of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement (EU-IAA) to suspend the agreement in whole or in part. Israel’s expansion of the death penalty and systematic human rights violations represent a clear breach of the democratic and human rights principles required under the EU-IAA.
- Enhanced international monitoring, reporting, and accountability measures, coordinated by UN human rights bodies, the European Union, and independent human rights organizations, to ensure Israel complies with its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law. Persistent violations must trigger concrete political and economic consequences.
Justice and security cannot be built through executions. A just and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike requires adherence to international law, equal protection of human rights, and a commitment to accountability that upholds the dignity of every human life.
Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine Coalition