Hamas Law? Punishment Bill In Gaza Draws Criticism, Concern

Last week, on Christmas Eve, the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza approved a new bill “to implement Quranic punishments,” including crucifixion, corporal punishment and execution.

Section 59 of the law establishes that “punishment of death will be enacted on any Palestinian who intentionally does one of the following: Raised a weapon against Palestine on behalf of the enemy during war, was appointed to negotiate with a foreign government on a Palestinian issue and negotiated against Palestinians’ interest, performed a hostile action against a foreign country in a way that endangers Palestine in war or in harming political relations, served a foreign army in time of war, advised or helped soldiers to enlist in this army, weakened the spirit or the force of resistance of the people, or spied against Palestine especially during war.”

The Arabic language newspaper al-Hayat of London reported this on Christmas Eve, noting that this step is seen as “unprecedented, and has brought criticism and concern from human rights organizations in the Gaza Strip.”

These revelations were made by the Palestinian Media Watch group, which follows and analyzes Palestinian agencies and institutions.