Pedro Sanchez has condemned Israel after its parliament approved a new law that makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians convicted of deadly terror attacks.
The legislation, passed by the Knesset on Monday, says Palestinians convicted in Israeli military courts of carrying out deadly ‘acts of terrorism’ will be executed by hanging within 90 days, with a possible postponement of up to 180 days.
In his latest criticism of Israel, the Spanish prime minister did not hold back in his response, warning that the law creates a two-tier justice system.
Sanchez wrote in a post on X: ‘The Government of Spain condemns the death penalty against Palestinians that Israel’s parliament has just approved.
‘This is an asymmetric measure that would not be applied to Israelis who committed the same offences.
‘Same crime, different penalty. That is not justice. It is one more step toward apartheid. The world cannot remain silent.’
The move has been widely condemned by international human rights groups, including Amnesty International.
‘Israel is brazenly granting itself carte blanche to execute Palestinians while stripping away the most basic fair-trial safeguards,’ said Erika Guevara-Rosas, the rights group’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns.
The reform was approved by 62 votes to 48 and is expected to apply in practice almost exclusively to Palestinians, particularly those living in the occupied West Bank.
Under the law, Israeli military courts would be required – except in undefined exceptional cases – to impose the death penalty on Palestinians.
Meanwhile, civilian courts that try Israeli citizens would still have the option of handing down life sentences instead, under stricter conditions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the vote and supported the measure, which was pushed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right figure known for his hardline stance.
Most MPs from Netanyahu’s Likud party backed the reform, along with coalition partners, although one ultra-Orthodox faction abstained.
Several opposition parties, including centrist and Arab groups, voted against it.
According to the new rules, executions would be carried out within 90 days of sentencing, by hanging, under strict prison supervision.
The legislation also outlines conditions including separate detention of prisoners, restricted access to family and officials and full supervision of the execution process.
Human rights organisations have already warned the law could be applied in a discriminatory manner, effectively targeting Palestinians.
The vote came after more than 10 hours of heated debate inside the Knesset.
In a striking moment following its approval, Ben Gvir reportedly attempted to open a bottle of champagne – before being stopped by an official.
Minutes later, missile alerts were triggered in the Tel Aviv area amid escalating regional tensions.
