Israel's death penalty for Palestinian prisoners akin to Hitler’s policies: Erdogan

Israeli parliament’s decision to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners is "essentially no different from Hitler’s policies against Jews," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

“What is being done is discrimination, it is racism, it means implementing in Israel a worse version of the apartheid regime that was overthrown in South Africa in 1994," Erdogan said on Friday at a meeting of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) Women’s Wing.

He said that imposing the death penalty only for Palestinians amounts to "apartheid' and turns law into an "instrument of racist fascism."

The Israeli Knesset passed the bill earlier this month to reinstate the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners allegedly convicted of killing Israelis.

Backed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the proposed law mandates capital punishment for acts deemed to harm the state of Israel, raising concerns over its scope and intent.

Analysts say the legislation is rasist and biased, arguing its wording effectively targets Palestinians while excluding Israeli perpetrators, including illegal settlers and soldiers.

Israel’s legal and military systems have long failed to hold illegal settlers and soldiers accountable for violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Cases involving attacks by illegal settlers often result in limited investigations or charges that are later dropped, while soldiers are rarely prosecuted, even in high-profile incidents such as the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022.

Overlapping civilian and military jurisdictions, combined with political backing for illegal settlement expansion, contribute to a pattern of impunity, raising concerns about equal application of the law and adherence to international standards.