Israel Considers Death Penalty for Terrorists, Sparking Fierce Debate

A former Israeli hostage negotiator has called a proposed death penalty law "a deep stain" on the country's legal system. Dr. Gershon Baskin spoke to international media this week. He is the Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation. The Israeli parliament passed a first vote on the bill this Monday. It would allow courts to give the death sentence to convicted terrorists. The proposal must pass more votes to become law. Baskin argues this is not an isolated measure. He says it is part of a dangerous shift in Israel's politics. He identifies a move toward exclusionary nationalism, legal inequality, and militarised thinking. Baskin has been deeply involved in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts for decades. Israel has only executed one person in its history. Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was put to death in 1962.