The Muslim-majority nation condemns Israel’s ‘increasingly discriminatory’ practices that ‘reinforce the system of apartheid’.
Published on 2 April 2026
Eight Muslim-majority countries have issued a joint statement “strongly condemning” Israel’s unilateral bill to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks.
Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates condemned “increasingly discriminatory, escalating Israeli practices that reinforce the apartheid system,” according to a joint statement issued by Islamabad on Thursday.
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Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a controversial bill on Monday, a one-way law that would not impose equal penalties on Jewish Israelis convicted of killings.
Its passage marks a major victory for Israel’s far right, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pushing for its implementation as one of the main conditions of his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party’s coalition agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The eight countries also expressed “deep concern” over the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, warning of increasing risks amid reports of “ongoing ill-treatment, including torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, starvation and denial of basic rights”.
The statement said these practices reflect a “wider pattern of violations against the Palestinian people”.
The countries also warned against Israel’s actions which risk escalating tensions on the ground.
The law has also been criticized by the United Nations and the European Union; However, Israel’s ally, the United States, came out in support of its “sovereign right to set its own laws”.
Israel has implemented the death penalty twice since its establishment.
It has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians has increased since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in 2023.
Analysts have said that under international law, Israel’s parliament should not make laws in the West Bank, which is not sovereign Israeli territory, despite the best efforts of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition to annex the territory to Israel.
