Topic analysis

Israel’s death penalty law could spell suspension from rights body role, says chief

Petra Bayr, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), warned that Israel’s observer status at PACE could be suspended over its new law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of deadly terror offenses in military courts, as non-use of capital punishment is a requirement for observer status. Human rights groups have challenged the discriminatory law in Israel’s Supreme Court, and PACE is set to vote on a report urging Israel to uphold its longstanding de facto moratorium on capital punishment, with a potential fast-tracked decision on a motion questioning Israel’s compliance with international law in Gaza expected in June.