League Organizes International Parliamentary and Legal Seminar to Warn Against Legislation Executing Prisoners

The League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds and Palestine held an international parliamentary and legal seminar in English to discuss the gravity of the Israeli Knesset's approval of a law to execute Palestinian prisoners. The event was held under the title "Legislation of Death: The Occupation’s Law to Execute Palestinian Prisoners... A War Crime in Parliamentary Clothing."

The seminar, moderated by MP. Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, a member of the League's Executive Committee, featured participation from Mr. Hamid bin Abdullah al-Ahmar, President of the League; Dr. Naledi Pandor, former South African Foreign Minister and Chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation; Senator Mushahid Hussain, member of the League's Executive Committee and the Pakistani Senate; and Dr. Anis al-Qasim, a researcher in international law and expert on Palestinian affairs.

Participants stressed that this legislation is a "war crime in parliamentary clothing" and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. They emphasized that it enshrines a policy of revenge and physical liquidation against Palestinian prisoners, asserting that the law establishes a framework of "legislative apartheid" that strips prisoners of basic judicial guarantees and provides legal cover for state-sponsored killings, effectively turning detention centers into tools for mass liquidation.

In his opening speech, Mr. Hamid al-Ahmar, President of the League, confirmed that the execution bill approved by the Israeli Knesset constitutes a war crime and a blatant violation of international law. He called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and take immediate action, including demanding the repeal of the law, providing international protection for Palestinians, opening investigations into systematic crimes, and holding those responsible accountable, in addition to exploring the possibility of suspending or terminating Israel's membership in international parliamentary bodies.

Al-Ahmar added that the legislation is a tool for mass liquidation aimed at providing legal cover for what is, in reality, state-sponsored murder. He noted that it cannot be separated from the broader context of ongoing violations and crimes of genocide against the Palestinian people, calling on the United Nations and world parliaments to take practical steps beyond statements of condemnation. These steps include pressuring for the law's repeal, providing international protection for prisoners, and opening independent investigations into violations to hold those responsible accountable before international courts.

For her part, Dr. Naledi Pandor reviewed the similarities between the apartheid system in South Africa and Israeli policies, explaining how the death penalty was used as a political tool against freedom fighters in both contexts. She invoked the story of South African activist Solomon Mahlangu, emphasizing that a people's struggle for freedom cannot be broken. She called for strengthening coordination among progressive parliamentarians worldwide to confront Israeli policies and to question Israel's eligibility to participate in international democratic institutions.

Pandor also addressed the principles of the liberation movement in South Africa, referring to its four pillars, and called for their application to the Palestinian case by escalating international action, imposing sanctions, strengthening boycott campaigns, and intensifying global popular movements, while emphasizing the role of the United Nations in addressing violations of international law.

In turn, Dr. Anis al-Qasim provided a legal intervention regarding the Israeli bill, explaining that it targets Palestinians in a discriminatory manner and conflicts with the rules of international humanitarian law and international conventions, especially in occupied territories. He called for broad international action, including a reconsideration of relations with Israel, based on the 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion regarding the situation in Gaza. He also noted that confronting this law might be more effective through diplomatic and economic pressure tools rather than traditional international judicial paths.

Senator Mushahid Hussain discussed developments in global public opinion, pointing to growing criticism of Israel. He proposed the establishment of an international task force to lead a comprehensive mobilization campaign similar to the South African experience, targeting parliamentarians and decision-makers through awareness materials and organized pressure campaigns.

At the conclusion of the seminar, Dr. Mohammad Makram Balawi, Secretary-General of the League, presented a final statement calling for the immediate repeal of the law through diplomatic pressure and the dispatch of international observers to Palestinian prisoner detention centers. The statement received broad support from participants, who stressed the need to move from the stage of rhetoric to action to confront this dangerous legislative escalation.

The session moderator, Mr. Sayed Ibrahim, emphasized that collective responsibility requires taking urgent practical steps to confront this trend and protect the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with the principles of international law and human justice.

In the final statement, the League stressed that, supported by the insights of the speakers, it calls on the United Nations and international parliaments to take immediate and concrete action. This includes the immediate repeal of this law through maximum diplomatic pressure, the urgent dispatch of international observers to Palestinian detention centers, the conduct of independent international investigations into crimes of torture and starvation, and holding occupation leaders accountable before international courts.