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Islamic bloc condemns Israel’s proposed death penalty law as ‘discriminatory, legally untenable’
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-nation bloc of Muslim-majority countries, has condemned a draft law before the Israeli parliament that could impose the death penalty on those convicted of “terrorism”, a move critics say would legalise the execution of Palestinian prisoners.
In a statement posted on X, the OIC described the proposed law as “discriminatory and legally untenable”.
It added: “The OIC has urged the international community to fulfil its obligations in halting all violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupation and to extend international protective measures for the Palestinian people.”
The bill has been forwarded by the far-right and internationally sanctioned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and is backed by Netanyahu.
The head of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society has described an Israeli bill to introduce the death penalty for Palestinian “terrorism” suspects as a crime against humanity.
Omer Bartov criticizes media’s reluctance to use ‘genocide’ for Gaza
Omer Bartov, a leading scholar on Israeli genocide, discussed how he concluded that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza on the Savage Minds podcast.
Bartov said that Israel initially aimed to ethnically cleanse Gaza, but had struggled to find partners to assist that enterprise.
“They couldn’t quite do it because there was no place to push the Palestinians to,” Bartov said. “Therefore, this attempt to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip devolved into genocide, which is very similar to many other cases that began as ethnic cleansing and ended in the mass killing of a population,” he added.
By July 2025, he said, a consensus had emerged among genocide scholars and experts in international law that what was taking place was genocide.
“The reluctance to use that term in mainstream media is astonishing, given what Israel has done,” he said.
Sami Hamdi’s wife calls for immediate release from US custody
The wife of British-Tunisian political commentator Sami Hamdi has renewed her call for his immediate release.
In an op-ed for USA Today, Soumaya Hamdi wrote: “He has a family that loves and misses him dearly and would like nothing more than for him to be released.” “Our children still wait for their father every night,” she added.
Hamdi was detained by US immigration authorities 10 days ago while on a speaking tour, a move his lawyers and wife say was linked to his advocacy on Palestine. “Sami’s abduction by ICE is not merely an immigration issue; it is about silencing political dissent to create a chilling effect,” she said.
The couple, who have three children, had planned to meet in New York before his detention. “Sami’s parents can barely eat or sleep because they are so anxious about his welfare and well-being,” Soumaya wrote.
If it was an immigration issue they would have simply denied entry, not abducted him...
