PM supports death penalty for terrorists, government’s hostages pointman tells Knesset panel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports a bill to introduce the death penalty for terrorists, government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch tells the Knesset National Security Committee.

“The prime minister’s position, and I spoke with him before the debate, is for the bill,” Hirsch tells the panel.

Hirsch has previously said that he opposed the bill while there were living hostages in Gaza, but tells the committee that now that they have all been returned, he too is lifting his opposition.

“We are in a different situation today,” he says. “Therefore, the resistance I expressed in the previous debate has become redundant.”

Hirsch had spoken to the committee during a September hearing on the bill, saying that the position of the security professionals working to bring the hostages back was that the discussions on the proposed legislation should be suspended.

Hirsch’s comments were seen as indicating the premier’s position at the time.