NEW YORK, March 31, 2026 (WAFA) – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said Tuesday that enforcing Israel’s death penalty law against Palestinian prisoners would constitute a war crime.

In a statement, Türk said the implementation of this discriminatory law “would constitute an additional, particularly egregious violation of international law. Its application to residents of the occupied Palestinian territory would constitute a war crime.”

He stressed that the law “is patently inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations, including in relation to the right to life. It raises serious concerns about due process violations, is deeply discriminatory, and must be promptly repealed.”

“The death penalty is profoundly difficult to reconcile with human dignity, and it raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people,” said the High Commissioner.

Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “We stand against the death penalty in all its aspects, wherever,” adding that “the nature of this particular law makes it particularly cruel and discriminatory.”

He also urged the Israeli government to repeal the law and refrain from enforcing it.

T.R.