Resisting Israel’s Death Penalty for Palestinians is on All of Us
Dear Friend,
Mattan here. In 2017, I sat 110 days in Israeli military prison for refusing to serve in the Israeli occupation army. Today, I am sad to report that it has happened: Israel’s so-called “death penalty for terrorists” law has passed. This is not just another piece of legislation. It is a line being crossed, openly. Behind the name is a law that effectively formalizes the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, already condemned by an unjust colonial system, enshrining Palestinian death into law in unprecedented ways. It is the culmination of years of occupation, which has brought Israeli society toward something more dangerous, more violent, and more authoritarian.
We at Refuser Solidarity Network are supporting those who are refusing this reality from within. Follow our social media channels to stay connected to real-time updates and stories from activists on the ground who are resisting this shift every day. Help us amplify their voices on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and X.
This did not begin today. For decades, the occupation has meant that Palestinians live without basic rights or protections. Even before the death penalty was expanded to apply to Palestinian prisoners, extrajudicial killings of Palestinians without accountability was the norm. Land taken without recourse.. What this law does is strip away any remaining pretense. It takes what has existed in practice and gives it formal, legal expression. It is, as many have said, the final nail in a long process.
Even now, some international actors, notably Western governments, respond with cautious language, expressing “concern,” warning about risks to democratic principles. But at this stage, such statements ring hollow.
And still, there are those who refuse. Across Israel, activists and organizers are pushing back. They are in the streets, in communities, in direct confrontation with the systems and ideologies driving this reality. They are documenting, organizing, disrupting, and insisting that another path is still possible. We stand with them.
Refuser Solidarity Network is committed to backing this resistance. We support groups on the ground who are challenging the very occupation, militarism and fascist political structures that have brought us to where we find ourselves today. We help ensure that even as the system hardens, there are people actively working to resist it.
Because laws like this are not the end of the story. They are a test. A moment that forces a choice, between accepting a future defined by repression and inequality, or building the capacity to challenge it.
The people we support have already made their choice, the question is whether they will stand alone. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and X. Share their stories. Help ensure that resistance is not isolated, but amplified.
In solidarity,
Mattan Helman
Refuser Solidarity Network