Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday condemned as "a step closer to apartheid" a bill passed by Israeli lawmakers that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks.
"It is an asymmetric measure that would not apply to Israelis who committed the same crimes. Same crime, different punishment. That is not justice. It is a step closer to apartheid," Sanchez wrote on X.
Israel's Knesset passed the law Monday, making the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted of lethal attacks against Israelis.
More than 9,300 Palestinians, including 350 children and 66 women, are currently held in Israeli jails, according to prisoners' rights organizations and the Israeli Prison Service.
Reports indicate they suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which have led to dozens of deaths.
Since October 2023, Israel has intensified measures against Palestinian prisoners amid its military campaign on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 72,000 people and injured 172,000, according to local authorities.
