Afghanistan, April 3 -- Eight Muslim-majority countries have strongly condemned a new Israeli law that imposes the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis, calling it a dangerous escalation and a serious violation of international law. The joint statement was issued on Thursday by Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The criticism came after Israel's parliament, the Knesset, approved the law earlier this week. According to reports and rights groups, the legislation would expose Palestinians in the West Bank to capital punishment if convicted in military courts of deadly attacks against Israelis, while critics say the law would apply overwhelmingly or exclusively t...