Five European countries publicly condemn Israeli law facilitating executions of terrorist murderers, as the European Union quietly warns Israel it could face sanctions.
By World Israel News Staff
European leaders blasted Israeli legislation paving the way for the execution of terrorists convicted of murder, with some officials warning that the law could lead to European Union sanctions against the Jewish state.
On Monday evening, the Knesset voted 62 to 48 to pass a bill dubbed the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, which would significantly ease the process of sentencing terrorists convicted of murder to death.
While Israel already has the death penalty, only two executions have ever been carried out since the state’s establishment in 1948.
A day before the vote, the foreign ministries of five countries issued a joint statement calling on the Knesset not to approve the bill.
In the statement, the foreign ministers of Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom voiced their “deep concern about a bill that would significantly expand the possibilities to impose the death penalty in Israel.”
The ministers claimed that the bill was “de facto discriminatory” and would “risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles.”
“The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring effect. This is why we oppose the death penalty, whatever the circumstances around the world. The rejection of the death penalty is a fundamental value that unites us.”
A day later, the Netherlands signed on to the statement, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen announced.
Israel’s mission to the European Union fired back that the law “is limited in scope and aligned with accepted principles governing the use of capital punishment, similar to frameworks in the United States.”
In addition to the joint statement issued on Monday, the European Union warned Israel that passage of the bill could jeopardize EU-Israel ties and could lead to EU sanctions.
Senior European officials hinted that the legislation could lead to the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
“What concerns them most right now is the distancing from shared values reflected in the death penalty,” a senior official said, according to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth.