In continuation of the genocide being committed against the Palestinian people, the death penalty by hanging has now been introduced

 

2 April 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

AKEL denounces in the strongest possible terms the Knesset’s—Israel’s parliament—approval of the death penalty law. The new law targets only Palestinians living under occupation and permits military courts to impose death sentences to be carried out by hanging within 90 days, without the right to appeal.

This is a continuation of the policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing that the State of Israel has been pursuing for decades against the Palestinian people. The law sanctions state-sponsored killings and further distances Israel from the principles of respect for human rights.

AKEL joins its voice with the relevant international institutions of the United Nations and all humanitarians all over the world in demanding the immediate repeal of this barbaric law. We call on the Cypriot government, as the current holder of the Presidency of the European Council, to call for the abolition of this law and to raise the issue of suspending the European Union–Israel Association Agreement.