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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday sharply condemned Israel’s move to introduce capital punishment for Palestinian prisoners, arguing the measure reflects racial discrimination and mirrors historical persecution.
Speaking at the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) Women’s Wing meeting, Erdogan described the legislation as "essentially no different from Hitler’s policies against Jews."
"What is being done is discrimination, it is racism," he stated, warning that the move signals "a worse version of the apartheid regime that was overthrown in South Africa in 1994."
Erdogan questioned the legal basis of the measure, asking whether imposing capital punishment only on Palestinian prisoners could be described as anything other than apartheid.
"Is this not using law as a tool of racist fascism?" he asked, adding that the decision reflects broader policies of "denial, destruction, pressure and political execution" against Palestinians.
Israel’s parliament approved the bill on March 30, enabling courts to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks classified as terrorism.
Under the legislation, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank—who are tried in Israeli military courts—could face execution as the default sentence for intentional deadly attacks. The punishment may be reduced to life imprisonment under “special circumstances.”
The law also applies in Israeli criminal courts, where individuals convicted of killing with the intent to harm Israeli citizens or undermine the state could receive either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Erdogan also pointed to a broader pattern of violence across the Middle East, saying successive conflicts have disproportionately affected women and children.
He said women and children made up most of the over 72,000 civilians killed in Gaza and bore the brunt of Syria’s 13.5-year war.
Citing regional violence, Erdogan pointed to a school strike in Iran’s Minab that killed more than 165 children early in the conflict and said Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2 displaced 1.2 million people, leaving over 1,500 dead and 4,700 injured.
"Even on the day a ceasefire was declared, Israel brutally killed 254 Lebanese," he added.
Despite the situation, Erdogan stressed that Türkiye would continue advocating for justice. "No matter how discouraging the picture is, we are not pessimistic," he said, pledging to keep raising concerns on international platforms.
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