JERUSALEM -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel's military has signed an order allowing a newly-passed death penalty law to be applied to Palestinians convicted of killing Jews in the occupied West Bank, marking the first step toward implementing the controversial law.

In a statement, Katz said he has instructed the military to begin implementing the law after it was approved by parliament on March 30. He said the move sent a "clear message" that attackers who kill Jews would "pay the heaviest price."

The procedure for applying the law was outlined in an amendment to a military order signed by Israel's military commander in the West Bank.

The new order, a copy of which was seen by Xinhua, states that the law would apply only to residents of the West Bank who carried out an attack with the intent "to deny the existence of the State of Israel or the authority of the military commander in the area" -- effectively applying it to Palestinian killers of Jews, but not to Israeli settlers or soldiers who kill Palestinians.

The law has drawn criticism from Palestinians and the EU, which called it "very concerning." Rights groups also condemned the law, saying it is discriminatory and could violate fair-trial protections.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. The settlements it has built there, and its military occupation, are considered illegal under international law.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned that measures expanding settlements and extending Israeli civilian authority in the West Bank undermine prospects for a future Palestinian state.