‘’Israel is facing murderous and brutal terrorism on a scale unmatched anywhere in the world. Palestinian terrorism is fueled by payments from the Palestinian Authority, as well as by abductions that lead to shortened prison terms for terrorists,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.

 

Israel has criticized the European Union for intervening ”in the midst of a sovereign state legoislative process’’ regarding a death penalty bill for terrorists introduced in the Knesse, the Israeli parliament.

‘’Israel, as a sovereign state, legislates its own laws. Unbelievably, the European Union is intervening in the midst of a sovereign state’s legislative process,’’ the Israeli foreifn ministry said after the EU issued a statement earlier this week in which it says that it  ‘’opposes capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances.’’

‘’The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and cannot be executed without violation of the absolute right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment. Capital punishment also has no proven deterrent effect and renders any judicial errors irreversible,’’ the statement said.

The Knesset National Security Committee on Tuesday cleared a bill mandating either the death penalty or life imprisonment for terrorists for its final votes in the Knesset plenum.

Knesset bills require three votes, or readings, by the Knesset plenum to become law. The death penalty bill passed its first reading on Nov. 10 by a vote of 39 to 16. It was then sent to committee for further debate. With the committee’s work completed, the bill is now transferred back to the Knesset plenum for its final two votes.

Member of the Knesset Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit Party, whose first husband died in a terrorist attack during the Second Intifada in August 2003, sponsored the bill.

“Anyone who embarks on the path of murder and killing of Jews has one religion—death,” she said, describing the bill as “Jewish and moral.” She thanked Otzma Yehudit Party Chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir for making the bill a priority.

Under the initial text of the proposed law, terrorists faced a mandatory death sentence with no room for judicial discretion. However, after pressure from opposition members and the Prime Minister’s Office, the bill was revised to give judges the option of imposing a sentence of life imprisonment.

The bill’s wording now reads: “Whoever intentionally causes the death of a person with the intention of harming a citizen or resident of Israel, with the aim of denying the existence of the State of Israel, shall be sentenced to death or life imprisonment, and one of these punishments only.”

I its statement, the foreign ministry stressed that ‘’Israel is facing murderous and brutal terrorism on a scale unmatched anywhere in the world. Palestinian terrorism is fueled by payments from the Palestinian Authority, as well as by abductions that lead to shortened prison terms for terrorists.’’

‘’It adds: ‘’ Israeli law already permits capital punishment, and under the proposed new law, discretion over its application will remain with the courts,’’ the ministry added, criticizing the EU’ ‘’double standards.’’ ‘’As always, the EU obsessively singles out Israel – we haven’t seen a tweet like this when it comes to capital punishment in the United States, Japan, India, Egypt, or other countries.’’

According to the EU, ‘’Israel has long upheld a de facto moratorium on both executions and capital punishment sentencing, thereby leading by example in the region despite a complex security environment.’’

‘’Approving this bill would represent a grave step backward from this important practice and from positions Israel has itself expressed in the past,’’ it said, calling on Israel ‘’to abide by its previous principled position, with its obligations under international law, as well as its commitment to democratic principles, as reflected also in the provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.’’