Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir will introduce on Sunday legislation that would allow the death penalty for terrorists.
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Although Ben-Gvir submitted the bill along with Likud MK May Golan, the legislation is expected to spark controversy both within the coalition and the opposition. Although some in Likud voiced support for the legislation, senior party officials told the Otzma Yehudit chairman other senior Likud officials would either oppose or refrain from supporting such a law.
Ben-Gvir clarified to senior Likud officials he expected them to support the law, which was expected to pose a challenge to some, including Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman. In the past, Lieberman demanded the death sentence for terrorists, and his Yisrael Beytenu party has submitted legislation on the subject in previous governments.
If passed by the Knesset, Ben-Gvir's bill would see terrorists who murder Israeli civilians out of racist motivations and in an effort to harm the State of Israel and the Jewish people's revival in Israel put to death via electric chair. The legislation further seeks to prevent the possibility of commuting a death sentence, with the goal of preventing such terrorists' inclusion in prisoner-exchange deals.
"After each terrorist incident, the heads of the security system promise that 'the long arm of the State of Israel will settle the score with the killers.' In general, all the killers secure improved conditions in prison, salaries from the Palestinian Authority, and in time, a majority of them are released in these kinds of deals," according to the bill's explanatory notes.
In a statement, Ben-Gvir called the death penalty for terrorists "the order of morality, reason, and the day. There is no reason in the world for these human scum who murder families and cut short lives to see the light of day or to be released in a terrorist-exchange deal. This punishment will not only decrease the motivation to carry out attacks but will also prevent dreams of kidnapping deals. In particular, in light of the all-inclusive policies in Israel's prison, it is fitting for such a punishment to be enacted in such a way that makes it easier to carry out in a military court.
"Faced with the terror wave in our streets and our enemies in the Middle East and in Israel in particular, there is no other way to handle this issue: What's good for the United States is good for us too," he said.
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