“Do not leave the body hanging overnight…for it is an affront to God; do not defile the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deut. 21:23)

On March 30 the Knesset passed a law mandating the death penalty for terrorists. While execution has always been a legal option in Israel, Israel has executed only one person in its entire 78-year history—the exceptional case of Adolph Eichman. The recent law marks a radical departure from Israeli policy and values.

The Otzma Yehudit party spearheaded the new law. Immediately after the law was enacted, Itamar Ben Gvir boasted, “This is a day of justice for the victims and a day of deterrence for our enemies.” Another Otzma Yehudit MK, Limor Son Har-Melech, claimed, “This is a day on which the State of Israel chose life,” calling the law “an example of true Jewish morality.”

Ben Gvir and Son Har-Melech are bringing us into a perverse Orwellian universe where revenge is justice, death is life, and pagan impulses masquerade as Jewish morality.

Scientific research shows that capital punishment does not deter people from committing murder. Many studies indicate that deterrence is not merely an illusion. In fact, capital punishment is counterproductive. Executions engender more rage, often causing violence to surge. Additionally, Palestinian terrorists idealize their own “martyrdom,” and are aware that when they murder Israelis they will likely be tracked down and killed by Israeli forces. They will not be deterred by the specter of execution. The IDF, the Shin Bet, and Israel’s National Security Council understand this and it is one of the reasons they oppose executing terrorists. Quite simply, the claim of deterrence is false, and people who make the........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)