ISLAMABAD — Eight Muslim-majority countries have "strongly condemned" Israel's move to pass a law making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks, a joint statement released by Pakistan said on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt strongly condemned the Israeli occupying power's enactment of a law in its Parliament (Knesset) that allows the imposition of the death penalty in the occupied West Bank and its de facto application against Palestinians. According to Reuters and Arab News, the eight nations condemned "increasingly discriminatory, escalating Israeli practices that entrench a system of apartheid" and said the move threatens regional stability. Israeli Knesset passed the controversial law on March 30, 2026. It makes death by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians convicted in military courts for fatal attacks against Israelis. Islamic nations including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Indonesia lambasted the law, saying it is one-sided and targets only Palestinians while not applying equally to all. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry released the joint statement in Islamabad. The countries also expressed concern over prisoner abuses and risks to regional stability. This condemnation comes amid ongoing tensions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where Israeli military actions continue despite ceasefire efforts.