HNW Condemns Israel's Death Penalty Law for Palestinian Prisoners: This is a Human Rights Violation
Deputy Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) of the Republic of Indonesia, Hidayat Nur Wahid (HNW), has strongly condemned the Death Penalty Bill approved by a majority of members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. He assesses that the regulation has the potential to be applied discriminatively against the Palestinian people.
HNW calls on the international community concerned with human rights (HAM) and democracy not to remain silent regarding the policy.
“The Death Penalty Bill has been approved by the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, with a vote of 62 in favour against 48 who rejected it. Those who approved the bill include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for violations of the law through his genocide against the people of Gaza/Palestine,” he stated in a written statement on Friday (3/4/2026).
HNW emphasises that the execution of the death penalty against Palestinian prisoners constitutes a crime that violates the principles of international law and human rights. Especially if the regulation is generalised to Palestinian citizens who resist to achieve independence from the oppression and colonisation carried out by Israel against the people.
“This is clearly a form of ongoing human rights violation, and it is only right that if the international community concerned with human rights and democracy moves immediately to correct and stop it,” he added.
Furthermore, HNW appreciates the stance of the United Nations (PBB) Human Rights Office, which has issued a condemnation of the legislative product. However, he requests that the step does not stop at statements alone, but immediately coordinates with all international human rights activists, including those in Israel, to reject and attempt to cancel the legislative product.
“The UN Human Rights Office should be able to coordinate this rejection with several parties, including human rights activists in Israel, so that this law can be brought to the Israeli Supreme Court to cancel this discriminatory product that violates human rights from Netanyahu and his cronies,” he said.
In addition to the UN Human Rights Office, several other parties have also condemned the policy, including the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese. Even, some parties equate the policy with ethnic-based punishment practices as occurred in the Nazi era.
HNW also highlights the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, which he believes often experiences human rights violations, including torture. He compares this to the treatment of Israeli prisoners by Palestinian resistance groups.
“Israeli prisoners are treated well, their human rights are fulfilled, and they are even continuously protected from Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on the Gaza Strip. This shows which nation is more civilised and respects human rights, even in times of war,” he said.
He also encourages the Indonesian Government to continue playing an active role in international forums, including through the UN Human Rights Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu), to continue playing its role in efforts to realise the constitutional mandate to protect and support the Palestinian people in achieving independence and ending Israel’s colonisation of Palestine.
“All efforts need to be made so that Palestine can exercise its right to self-determination. And, the most important thing at this time is to end all human rights violations against the Palestinian people, even under the guise of legislative products that are seemingly legal, but in fact discriminatory, violate human rights, and further expose Israel’s unwillingness for peace but instead continues to incite enmity, tension, and even war, something that should be strongly rejected by the international community concerned with human rights and democracy,” he concluded.