Netanyahu backs Israel’s proposed death penalty for terrorists amid intense public debate

A arguable measure proposing the decease punishment for Palestinian terrorists — backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — has ignited aggravated nationalist and governmental debate. 

While Netanyahu initially refrained from publically supporting the legislation, reportedly implicit concerns that it could impact hostages held successful Gaza, his spokesperson has since confirmed his endorsement.

"In presumption of the death-penalty bill, it’s known that the premier curate supports this, of course, arsenic a punishment aft a just proceedings successful our judicial system. Anyone that harms the State of Israel and its citizens volition look consequences," Shosh Bedrosian, spokesperson for overseas media astatine the Prime Minister’s Office, said.

ISRAEL’S COVERT CAMPAIGN TARGETS HAMAS TERRORISTS BEHIND OCT 7 MASSACRE

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a property league with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz successful the Kirya subject basal successful Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.  (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

Coalition lawmaker and bill sponsor Limor Son Har-Melech told Fox News Digital. "Although the instrumentality is not yet afloat drafted, we privation to woody with the improvement of violent attacks against Israeli citizens, and therefore, connected the basal principles, we person determined that the instrumentality volition use to those who transportation retired violent attacks against citizens of the State of Israel."  Har-Melech's party, Otzma Yehudit, has pushed the bill.

A papers outlining the law’s basal principles states that the condemnation "will beryllium imposed by a elemental bulk without discretion, without the quality to modify the benignant of sentence, without the quality to mitigate the condemnation by offering a woody oregon done pardon (subject to existing law)."

To forestall delays, the papers adds that the execution "will beryllium carried retired wrong 90 days" and that it volition beryllium administered by the Prison Service "by means of a poison injection."

Terrorists successful the cardinal Gaza municipality of Deir al-Balah observe the ceasefire connected Jan. 19, 2025.  (TPS-IL)

The papers highlights the bill’s intended deterrent effect, noting that Israel has repeatedly been targeted by panic groups seeking to kidnap Israelis for captive exchanges. A 2011 deal, for instance, saw 1,027 Palestinian prisoners released successful instrumentality for IDF worker Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped successful 2005. Assassinated Hamas main Yahya Sinwar —widely viewed arsenic the designer of the Oct. 7 massacre — was among those freed successful that exchange.

Israeli National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit Party main Itamar Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital, "The decease punishment instrumentality for terrorists is indispensable and highly important. Whoever raped our daughters, murdered our elders, oregon slaughtered our children has nary close to exist, nary close to respire aerial for a azygous second. His condemnation is one: to enactment him connected the gallows."

He added, "This instrumentality is motivation and ethical, and it sends a precise wide connection to our enemies: don’t messiness with us. I volition proceed to beforehand this instrumentality with each my might. I volition not fto up until we walk it, God willing."

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Hamas terrorists killed civilians, including women, children and the elderly, erstwhile they attacked Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023.  (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

Dr. Amir Fuchs, a elder researcher astatine the Israel Democracy Institute, told Fox News Digital that probe indicates superior punishment does not importantly deter mean murderers, and its effect connected terrorists — who already hazard their lives — whitethorn beryllium adjacent weaker.

He besides noted that the instrumentality provides nary discretion for the tribunal oregon prosecution, efficaciously making the decease punishment mandatory successful definite cases.

"It’s utmost and, I believe, unconstitutional. It besides would not use to Jewish terrorists, which is discriminatory," Fuchs said.

"This presumption that we volition execute tens of thousands of radical is wholly false. The instrumentality applies lone to murderers. The thought that enacting the decease punishment means each terrorists volition beryllium executed is simply not true," helium added.

Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Israel’s curate for the Negev, the Galilee and National Resilience told Fox News Digital that the decease punishment instrumentality for terrorists is important arsenic it is intended to enactment an extremity to the kidnappings of Israelis.

"The lone mode determination volition beryllium nary much kidnappings of Israelis is if determination are nary much terrorists to merchandise successful speech for them," Wasserlauf said. 

A bloodied handprint stains a partition successful a Nir Oz location aft Hamas terrorists attacked this kibbutz days earlier adjacent the borderline of Gaza. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

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The decease punishment has been utilized lone doubly successful Israel’s past — astir notably successful the 1962 execution of SS serviceman Adolf Eichmann, a main designer of the Holocaust. 

United Torah Judaism lawmaker Yaakov Asher, who opposes the bill, told Fox News Digital that his objection is rooted successful the rule of pikuach nefesh, a cardinal rule successful Jewish instrumentality that prioritizes the preservation of quality beingness supra astir each different spiritual commandments.

Knesset subordinate Limor Son Har-Melech 9 (left), from the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party, sponsored the superior punishment measure for terrorists.  (Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"Rabbi Dov Lando instructed america to reason it, informing that adjacent raising the contented — fto unsocial legislating it — could trigger a question of coercion against Jews," Asher said. "There is besides the halakhic interest of ‘provoking the nations of the world,’ which requires weighing whether immoderate measurement would support Jews or, God forbid, endanger adjacent one."

The Hadash–Ta'al faction successful the Knesset, led by MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi, issued an authoritative connection denouncing the measure arsenic discriminatory and incendiary.

"It is wide to america that the decease punishment volition not deter; connected the contrary, it volition nutrient the other effect and whitethorn summation attacks — thing we reason arsenic a group. We privation to beforehand a governmental process that volition extremity the conflict," the connection said.

"All quality rights values and norms fundamentally reason the decease punishment from a humane perspective," it continued. "We cognize from our parliamentary and governmental enactment that the projected measure is thing little than an enactment of vengeance that deepens hatred and fuels an ambiance of incitement and extremism among some people," it added.

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The measure inactive requires 2 further readings successful the Knesset plenum to walk and remains taxable to imaginable amendments beforehand.