Jordan Daily -The Jordanian Social Democratic Party held a legal and political seminar on Tuesday at its headquarters in Amman to discuss the “Prisoners’ Execution Law” approved by the Israeli Knesset in March 2026. The law grants Israeli courts the authority, and in some cases obliges them, to impose the death penalty by hanging on those convicted of deliberately causing the death of Israelis.
The seminar addressed the legal, political and moral dimensions of the law, with participants stressing that it represents a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. They further warned that the law reinforces a discriminatory policy targeting Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli occupation prisons.
Dr. Haytham Ereifej, attorney-at-law and member of the Party’s Political Bureau, said that the law constitutes a crime that rises to the level of a war crime, and represents a clear challenge to international law, the Geneva Conventions, and the international rules governing the protection of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Dr Ereifej emphasized the importance of Jordan’s position under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as the diplomatic and legal efforts led by the Kingdom in defense of the rights of the Palestinian people and their human dignity. He also underlined the continued demand for the release and repatriation of Jordanian prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons.
In his intervention, Dr. Riyad Al-Soboh, a human rights expert and trainer, presented a legal reading of the decision, reviewing findings contained in UN reports on the human rights situation in Palestine. He pointed to the grave violations committed by the occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including practices that undermine the most basic humanitarian and legal standards.
For his part, writer and novelist Abdul Salam Saleh addressed the prisoners’ issue from a literary and humanitarian perspective. He highlighted prison literature and the suffering and struggle it reflects, stressing the important role played by Jordan’s cultural community, particularly the Jordanian Writers Association, in documenting the history of the Palestinian national prisoners’ movement and keeping this cause present in public awareness.
The Secretary-General of the Jordanian Social Democratic Party, Dr. Abdul Hameed Alimat, affirmed that the Party’s position toward the Zionist occupation is a historic and principled one, consistent with the Party’s ideological and political foundations, which place the Palestinian cause and the full rights of the Palestinian people at the heart of national priorities.
At the conclusion of the seminar, Ali Al-Batran, a member of the Party’s Political Bureau, presented the Party’s position on the decision and issued an urgent appeal to political parties, national forces, legal bodies and civil society institutions to form a legal-political committee comprising representatives of parties, civil organizations, lawyers and human rights advocates.
The proposed committee would be tasked with studying the Prisoners’ Execution Law, examining its implications from legal and political perspectives, and developing mechanisms for immediate action.
Through this appeal, the Party called for a clear and unequivocal rejection of the execution of prisoners, describing it as a war crime, racial discrimination and a grave violation of international humanitarian law. It also called for full respect for international law, an end to administrative detention practices, the protection of children from arrest, detention and violations, and expanded engagement with international humanitarian and human rights organizations to increase pressure and expose violations.
The Party further urged action before competent international courts and bodies to hold the occupying state accountable for unlawful legislation and grave violations committed against prisoners and detainees.
