Over 70% of Jewish Israelis support death penalty for terrorists, poll finds

A vast majority of Jewish Israelis support recent calls made by high-profile politicians for the implementation of the death penalty for terrorists, according to a new poll.

According to the latest monthly Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University Peace Index poll, 25.8% of respondents said they “moderately” supported the “the execution of Palestinians found guilty of murdering Israeli civilians for nationalist reasons,” while another 44% expressed “strong” support. Only 24% expressed opposition.

In the wake of a brutal terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Halamish last month in which three members of a family were stabbed to death, a number of prominent ministers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed their belief that Israeli military courts should seek the death penalty for the Palestinian attacker.