GAZA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Hamas on Monday condemned Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's order to begin implementing a newly passed death penalty law against Palestinians, calling it a "dangerous escalation."
In a press statement, the movement said Katz's order is a blatant violation of international norms and laws, and an extension of Israel's policy of "organized crime and terrorism" against Palestinians.
Israel's policies of "terrorism, assassination, and threats of execution will only increase the Palestinian people's adherence to their rights," the group said, urging the international community and the United Nations to pressure the "occupation government to rescind this illegitimate and racist decision."
Katz said Sunday that Israel's military has signed an order allowing the newly passed death penalty law to be applied to Palestinians convicted of killing Jews in the occupied West Bank, marking the first step toward implementing the controversial law.
The order states that the law would apply only to residents of the West Bank who carried out an attack with the intent "to deny the existence of the State of Israel or the authority of the military commander in the area."
The law has drawn widespread criticism. Rights groups also condemned the law, saying it is discriminatory and could violate fair-trial protections.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. The settlements it has built there, and its military occupation, are considered illegal under international law. ■
