Israeli Knesset moves to establish special court to try Palestinian prisoners

OCCUPIED PALESTINE, Feb. 05 (YPA) – The Israeli Knesset is expected, in the coming weeks, to approve a new bill establishing a special military court to try Palestinian detainees in connection with the October 7, 2023 attack, classifying their actions as “genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.”

According to the draft bill, the court will be formed based on the British Emergency Regulations of 1945 and will consist of a three-member panel headed by a civilian judge who has previously served in a central court, along with two officers qualified for the same position, whereas the primary objective of these trials will be to issue death sentences.

The bill stipulates that appeals against death sentences will be submitted automatically, even without a request from the accused, and eliminates the requirement for the Chief of Staff’s approval of the execution. It also mandates that the sessions be public and broadcast via a dedicated website, and that they be documented with audio and video and archived in the state archives.

It should be noted that bill No. (5020) of 2025, submitted by MKs Simcha Rotman and Julia Malinovsky, has reached an advanced stage.

It is scheduled for discussion before the Law Committee on February 18, 2026, in preparation for its second and third readings.

The bill is based on a legal debate that began within the occupying entity in November 2023, whereas it rests on the principle of “collective responsibility,” relaxes the rules of evidence, and expands the scope of charges to include “genocide” according to the Israeli entity’s 1950 law, a move that has sparked widespread legal and human rights controversy.