Israel's new death penalty law will only unlock more doors for terror

Israel's recent passage of laws allowing the death penalty for terrorists risks escalating violence and antisemitism, according to an opinion piece by Michael J. Zoosman. He refutes the argument, made by former Shin Bet official Moshe Fuzaylov, that capital punishment deters terror, stating instead that it invites reprisal.

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The death penalty isn’t revenge, it’s how terror loses its key.

Zoosman draws a parallel to effigies of Israeli and US leaders displayed at a pro-Palestinian rally in Montreal, which he calls a "nauseating reminder" that calls for executions fuel the cycle of violence and antisemitic fervor. He notes that Hamas's threatening response to Israel's new laws underscores this point.

The author highlights the work of L'chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty, an international group advocating for the end of capital punishment. He argues that Israel's embrace of state-sponsored killings opens a "Pandora's Box" that undermines civilized humanity, citing celebrations of death by Israeli officials and Hamas's calls for violence.

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Every head that falls upon the scaffold may be honored and praised as the head of a martyr.

Citing Elie Wiesel's statement that "Death should never be the answer in a civilized society," Zoosman concludes that the death penalty is vengeance disguised as strategy. He emphasizes that the effigy display violates human dignity and Jewish values, and that Israel's new laws ripen the environment for insidious hate to take root.

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Death should never be the answer in a civilized society.