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Israel’s death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank came into effect on Sunday night, after an Israeli army commander signed a military order applying it to the occupied territory.

The law, passed on March 30, applies to those who cause the death of an Israeli citizen “with the aim of denying the existence of the State of Israel,” meaning it effectively applies only to Palestinians. This clause intentionally excludes Israeli settlers in the West Bank, whose acts of violence would be considered committed in the name of Israel, rather than against it.

The new law also allows for military courts to impose a death sentence by majority vote, rather than a unanimous decision, and removes the ability to pardon or commute sentences issued by military courts. It makes the use of the death penalty the default sentence for Palestinians “whose attacks resulted in the death of a victim.”

After the law’s approval on Sunday evening, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Palestinian “terrorists… will not sit in prison under comfortable conditions, wait for deals or dream of release — they will pay the heaviest price.”

“In order to implement this law,” legal expert Diana Buttu explained to Truthout, “Israel needed to change its criminal code, and add a new provision to its criminal code. Previously, there were only two instances where you could impose the death penalty — treason, and genocide. Israel added a new provision to the criminal code, and that is, if the person kills with the intent of denying the state of........

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