European countries appeal to Israel to abandon plans to revive death penalty

Four European countries have called on Israel to abandon a bill seeking to revive the death penalty for people convicted of acts of terrorism, a measure opponents say would target only Palestinians.

In a joint statement on Sunday ahead of an anticipated final vote in the Knesset on Monday, foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom expressed their “deep concern” about the bill.

“The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring effect,” the ministers said, calling for those behind the bill to end the initiative. “This is why we oppose the death penalty, whatever the circumstances around the world.”

No death sentence handed down by a regular court has been carried out since the execution of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962.

If the current legislative initiative is approved, Palestinians convicted by military courts in the occupied territories of a terrorist-motivated murder would face a mandatory death sentence.