JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) – The Israeli parliament has approved a bill to introduce the death penalty for terrorists. 62 of the 120 members of the Knesset voted for the highly controversial move by the Otzma Jehudit party of the right-wing extremist Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 48 MPs voted against the law, the rest were absent or abstained. The right-wing conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voted for the initiative.
Critics see the law as racist because it de facto only affects Palestinians. Germany and other European countries spoke out against the law.
Compulsory sentence in military courts
Palestinians convicted of terrorist-motivated murder in military courts in the occupied territories face the death penalty, which judges must impose in such a case. The verdict can be appealed. If convicted, the death penalty is to be carried out within 90 days by hanging by a prison guard.
According to the draft law, in civilian courts in Israel, a person convicted of a terrorist-motivated murder with the aim of destroying the State of Israel can be punished with either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
However, due to the prohibition of retroactivity, the new law cannot be applied to Hamas terrorists who were involved in the massacre on October 7, 2023 in the Israeli border area.
Proponents speak of deterrence
At the end of an hour-long debate, Ben-Gvir spoke of a historic moment of justice. Every terrorist must know that he will pay for murder with his life. The law will “bring back pride” to the Israeli people. He accused the European Union of not seeing Israel defend itself against terrorism.
The Knesset Security Committee recently approved the draft for second and third reading. The chairman of the committee, Zvika Fogel, spoke of an “important step towards restoring the deterrence of the State of Israel.” Human rights organizations had called for a stop to the controversial project.
The last execution was of Nazi criminal Eichmann
Israel abolished the death penalty for murder in 1954. Israeli law continued to allow the death penalty to be imposed in certain cases, such as against Nazi criminals or in cases of treason in times of war. However, the execution of the German Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962 was the last time that a death penalty pronounced by a regular court in Israel was carried out.
Foreign ministers appealed to Israel in vain
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) and his colleagues from France, Italy and the United Kingdom expressed their “deep concern” about the draft law in a joint statement on Sunday.
“The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterrent effect,” the ministers said. “That’s why we reject the death penalty worldwide under all circumstances.” Berlin, Paris, Rome and London urged those responsible to abandon the plans.
Criticism of the law also in Israel
There was also criticism of the law in Israel. “Israel is in the midst of a war in which it claims to represent the democratic and liberal world against the forces of evil in Iran and beyond,” wrote a Times of Israel commentator. “Passing the law now could cause significant harm to Israel internationally and damage its already increasingly tarnished image.”
In a report on the law, the Israeli Democracy Institute criticized the fact that it forces judges in military courts to impose the death penalty and that it deprives them of the necessary individual assessment. It contradicts Israel’s democratic and constitutional values because it is only directed against Palestinians. The law could also lead to irreversible judicial errors and harm Israel politically internationally. In addition, according to experts, it does not help effectively in the fight against terror.
Opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman, who has generally supported the death penalty for terrorists, said during an hours-long debate that he expected Israel’s highest court to overturn the law./le/DP/he
