NEW YORK, May 1 : The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has warned that Israel’s newly adopted “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law” represents a “grave retrogression” in human rights protections and could institutionalize racial discrimination against Palestinians.
In a strongly worded statement issued under its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, the Committee urged Israel to “immediately repeal the law,” saying it undermines fundamental principles of equality and due process.
The Committee expressed alarm that the law mandates death by hanging as the default sentence for cases involving an “act of terrorism” before Israeli military courts. Those courts have exclusive jurisdiction over Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while Israeli citizens and residents are explicitly excluded from its application.
Israeli citizens and residents are explicitly excluded from its scope. According to the Committee, the legislation “de facto applies only to Palestinians,” particularly in cases involving accusations of intent to “deny the existence of the State of Israel.”
Acting under its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, as well as in follow up to the recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Conciliation Commission on the inter-State communication submitted by the State of Palestine against Israel.
The UN body also warned that the law eliminates judicial discretion by prohibiting mitigation, commutation, or pardon, and requires executions to be carried out within 90 days of a final verdict.
It further said the measure reverses Israel’s long-standing unofficial moratorium on executions in place since 1962 and expands the use of capital punishment across the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Committee expressed concern that the law was adopted amid rising settler violence, alleged unlawful killings, and ongoing violations of due process rights for Palestinians. It cited figures indicating that as of January 2026, “9,243 Palestinians were in Israeli custody,” including “3,385 administrative detainees held without trial.”
The UN panel urged Israel to ensure that all Palestinian detainees are guaranteed “equal treatment before the law, protection from violence, and access to justice,” and called for an end to what it described as policies amounting to “racial segregation and discrimination.”
It also appealed to all UN member states to ensure their resources are not used to support or enforce discriminatory practices in the occupied territories, referencing obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which Israel ratified in 1979. The Committee said the law and its broader implications must be addressed urgently, warning that failure to act could deepen systemic inequality and further erode international legal standards in the region. (UNI)
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