Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett lent his support to a bill that would legislate the death penalty for convicted terrorists.
The bill, initiated by Yisrael Beytenu and one of the party’s campaign points before the election, will be brought to the ministerial committee on legislation next week. It was submitted by Sharon Gal, a newcomer to the party.
Likud officials are still debating whether to support the bill.
In this Jan. 18, 2015, file photo, Naftali Bennett speaks with the media ahead of a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. (Abir Sultan, Pool Photo via AP, File)
Bennett wrote on his Facebook page: A terrorist murderer … must know he ends his life as soon as he takes someone’s life. It is moral and it is correct.”
Bennett called on Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid to support the bill “and send a message that on these issues, there is no coalition and opposition.”
According to the bill, a person convicted of murder under terrorist circumstances will be put to death. Additionally, people convicted in terrorist activity in the West Bank in which innocent citizens died will be put to death.
Currently, only a panel of judges can decide on a death penalty and their decision must be unanimous. The bill seeks to allow a single judge to rule for the death penalty.
Officially, the death penalty is not illegal in Israel. It was only used once in the entire history of the state, when Nazi Adolf Eichmann was brought to trial in Israel, convicted and executed.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
