Israel pushes ahead with death penalty for terrorists
Around six weeks after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, Israeli politicians want to make it easier to impose the death penalty on terrorists. The parliamentary committee for internal security discussed a corresponding law proposed by the far-right ruling party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power).
According to a draft of the law from March, "anyone who intentionally or out of indifference causes the death of an Israeli citizen, if the act is motivated by racism or hostility towards a particular population group" - with the aim of "harming the State of Israel or the rebirth of the Jewish people in their homeland" - should be punished with death. In the occupied West Bank, military courts are to be empowered to pronounce death sentences by a simple majority.
Death penalty abolished in Israel in 1954
In March, a majority of the MPs present had already voted in favor of the bill. Three more readings by parliament are required before the law comes into force. Similar attempts to introduce the death penalty for terrorists have failed in the past.
Israel abolished the death penalty for murder in 1954. The Israeli law still allowed the death penalty to be imposed in certain cases, for example against Nazi criminals or for treason in wartime. However, the execution of the German Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962 was the last time that a death sentence imposed by a regular court in Israel was carried out.
The far-right police minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter: "We all saw what happened here on October 7, when the Nazis came in, they didn't differentiate between left and right, between an elderly person and a child, between Jews and Arabs." They slaughtered everyone. "There is only one sentence for these damn Nazis. And that is death."
Criticism from hostage relatives
Around 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel in the massacre by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7. Around 240 hostages were also taken to the Gaza Strip. According to Israel, hundreds of terrorists were captured.
The current discussion about the death penalty law has triggered massive criticism from the relatives of the hostages. According to Israeli media reports, they fear that the abductees will be put in additional danger.
- The relatives of the hostages critically oppose the current discussion on the death penalty law, expressing concerns that it might put the abductees at further risk.
- Israeli politicians are pushing for easier implementation of the death penalty for terrorists, following the Hamas massacre, with a focus on individuals motivate by hate towards specific groups.
- The Middle East is once again in the spotlight due to conflicts and debates over justice, with Israel considering reinstating the death penalty for terrorists involved in hostage situations.
- Critics argue that the death penalty, as proposed by the Israeli parliament, could inadvertently serve as a recruiting tool for terrorists, citing cases where executions have served as martyrdom motivators.
Source: www.dpa.com
