Israel supports bill on death penalty for terrorists in first reading

The Israeli Parliament – the Knesset – has passed in the first reading a bill that provides for the mandatory application of the death penalty to terrorists guilty of killing citizens of the country, reports The Times of Israel.

The document was initiated by Otzma Yehudit MP Limor Son Har-Melech. During the voting on the evening of November 10, 39 MPs supported the bill, while 16 opposed it. Two other similar documents, submitted by MPs from the Likud and Our House of Israel parties, also passed the first reading .

The Son Har Melech bill obliges courts to sentence to death those who have committed murder for nationalist reasons against Israeli citizens. In military courts in the West Bank, a majority of judges will be able to decide on the death penalty, rather than unanimously, as is currently the case. The bill also abolishes the ability of military commanders to commute such sentences.

The document has been sharply criticized by the opposition and human rights activists, who note that the law will actually apply only to Arabs who have killed Jews and will not apply to Jewish terrorists.

The Israeli legal system formally allows for the death penalty, but it was applied only once – in 1962 to the Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann.

"We have taken a historic step toward true justice and a stronger deterrent to terrorism. The law on the death penalty for terrorists is a moral and national decision of a people who do not accept that murderers of Jews live in prisons and wait for an exchange," Limor Son Har Melech said after the vote.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir handed out baklava in the Knesset after the bill was passed, a gesture often seen in Israel as a symbol of celebration of Palestinian attacks on Jews.

"Those who killed, raped and abducted our sons and daughters do not deserve to see the light of day. Their punishment should be death. This is not only fair, but also a necessary step for the security of the state," said Ben Gwire .

Opposition MPs warn that the adoption of this law could lead to an outbreak of violence and increased international pressure on Israel. Some also emphasize that such a law may contradict the Basic Law on Human Dignity.

The draft law has been submitted to the committee for preparation for the second and third readings, after which it may become law.

• At the end of September this year, US President Donald Trump signed a decree that allows the death penalty for particularly serious crimes in the District of Columbia (Washington).