Cairo, March 30 (Petra) -- President of the Arab Parliament, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi, strongly condemned the Israeli occupation Knesset’s approval of a law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners.

He stressed on Monday that this racist legislation constitutes a grave crime and a blatant violation of all international laws and conventions, foremost among them the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit harm to prisoners’ lives and guarantee them full protection. He said the law represents a dangerous escalation in the policy of systematic killing pursued by the occupation authorities against the Palestinian people and constitutes a fully fledged war crime and a crime against humanity.

Al-Yamahi said the approval of such a law clearly reveals the true nature of the occupation’s policies, which are based on revenge and physical elimination and reflect a blatant disregard for all international efforts aimed at achieving justice and peace in the region.

He called on the international community, the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, human rights organizations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and take immediate action to stop this serious violation, adopt deterrent measures to hold the occupation leaders accountable for their crimes, and work to provide urgent international protection for Palestinian prisoners.

He also renewed his call on regional and international parliaments to take urgent action to suspend the membership of the occupation’s Knesset in international parliamentary forums, foremost among them the Inter-Parliamentary Union, noting that this legislation constitutes a flagrant violation of all parliamentary and humanitarian values. He affirmed that the issue of prisoners will remain a top priority for the Arab Parliament and that attempts by the occupation to liquidate this cause will not succeed in breaking the will of the Palestinian people or erasing their legitimate rights, foremost among them the right to freedom, self-determination, and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

//Petra// AF