IDF Central Command Extends Israel's Death Penalty Provisions to West Bank Palestinians

IDF Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed an administrative order extending Israel's military death penalty provisions to apply to Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, a significant legal escalation reported on May 22, 2026. The extension applies Israeli military law's maximum penalty to the non-Israeli occupied population. Human rights organizations including B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International condemned the move as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from applying punishments to occupied civilians that diverge from international humanitarian law protections. The death penalty extension occurs in a context where: Israeli settlers commit roughly 6 acts of violence per day in the West Bank (760+ incidents in 2026); only 2–3% of settler violence cases result in prosecution (Yesh Din 2025 data); Finance Minister Smotrich defied ICC warrant proceedings by ordering Khan al-Ahmar's evacuation; and IDF Central Command has documented 59 Palestinian communities fully depopulated by settler pressure since 2023. Critics noted the order would potentially expose Palestinian civilians defending their property or families to capital punishment — while perpetrators of settler violence against Palestinians face near-total impunity. Maj. Gen. Bluth had previously and publicly called settler violence against Palestinians 'Jewish terror' and warned it risks triggering a Palestinian uprising.