Washington: US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has strongly criticized an Israeli bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, describing it as 'the next step in the genocide of Palestinians' and labeling it an act of apartheid. Tlaib expressed her concerns on the US social media platform X, highlighting that 'mass execution by hanging, solely on racial lines' is a form of apartheid and that Palestinians are already subjected to systematic torture in Israeli prisons.

According to Anadolu Agency, Israel has intensified its violations against Palestinian detainees since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. These violations reportedly include starvation, torture, sexual violence, and a systematic denial of medical care, particularly affecting those from Gaza. The controversial bill would allow the imposition of a death sentence without a prosecution request and by a simple majority rather than a unanimous decision.

The legislation also extends the power to impose the death penalty to military courts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with the defense minister having the authority to provide an opinion to the judicial panel. For Palestinians under Israeli occupation who are sentenced to death, the bill would remove any possibilities for pardon or appeal, although those tried within Israel might have the option to have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has endorsed the legislation, calling it 'a historic day.'