The defendant, identified by a rights group as Waheed Yaseen, was convicted of premeditated murder and possession of an unlicensed weapon as well as making threats and resisting arrest.
After a seven-month trial, Yaseen was convicted Monday of killing Mahmoud Hassouna of Nablus on March 20, 2011. Hassouna operated a jewelry store and money exchange in Jenin.
Last week, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted to grant the Palestinian National Council "partner for democracy" status partly on the basis that it would abolish the death penalty.
The PLO's revolutionary penal code of 1979 allows for death sentences, but they can be appealed and are subject to ratification by the president. Mahmoud Abbas has not ratified such sentences.
According to research by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Monday's death sentence is the sixth in 2011, two of which were issued in the West Bank and four in the Gaza Strip.
The 1979 code is unconstitutional when implemented by the Palestinian Authority, as it has not been presented to, nor approved by the legislature, PCHR noted in a statement Tuesday.
The group calls for abolishing the penalty as it violates international standards of fair trial.
