JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israel’s Supreme Court gave the government until May 24 to respond to a petition seeking to overturn a law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners, a rights group said Tuesday.

Adalah, a legal center for minority rights in Israel, said the petition was filed alongside other organizations and members of parliament a day after the Knesset approved the controversial law.

Adalah said the petition argues the law should be struck down because it “entails an absolute denial of the right to life” and imposes a cruel and inhumane punishment on those convicted under it.

The court decided to require the government to submit its response to the petition by May 24, the center added.

The Knesset passed the law Monday evening by 62-48 votes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted in support of the law.

The law mandates executions by hanging, to be carried out by prison guards appointed by the Israeli Prison Service, while granting those involved anonymity and legal immunity.

It also requires transferring those sentenced to death to special detention facilities and restricting visits to authorized parties, with lawyer meetings limited to video communication.

The legislation has sparked outrage. About 1,200 Israeli figures, including Nobel laureates, former military officials and former Supreme Court judges, voiced strong opposition in February, calling it a “moral stain.”

*Writing by Lina Altawell