The Cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss imposing the death penalty on terrorist murderers, amidst a growing public demand for capital punishment. At the same time, Haaretz published a public opinion poll today which showed that some 70.5 percent of 1,200 people interviewed support capital punishment for terrorists while only 20.1 percent voted against it.
The public clamor for the death penalty increased appreciably over the weekend with the murder last week of two Jewish teachers whose bodies were found in a cave Friday on the slopes of the Gilboa Hills. (See separate story.)
The Cabinet is said to be split on implementing the death penalty which is on the statute books but has not been used against terrorists. The only person ever executed in Israel was Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in the early 1960’s. Likud ministers are said to favor the death penalty while the Labor ministers favor automatic deportation for Arabs found guilty of terrorist acts — to reduce the number of PLO supporters in Israeli prisons who can be used as bargaining chips in hijack hostage demands.
The practice of deporting Arab terrorists and political leaders was stopped as a general rule in 1979 by then Defense Minister Ezer Weizman, but there were exceptions — such as the deportation of the Arab mayors of Hebron and Halhoul and recently the deportation of a former security prisoner from the Gaza Strip.
DIVISION ON ISSUE OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
It was not clear today whether the demand for capital punishment would win support in the Cabinet and the Knesset as well. According to some reports, the heads of the security branches opposed the death penalty during internal deliberations last week in preparation for tomorrow’s Cabinet session.
The two main arguments against capital punishment were the fear that this might tempt Arab terrorist organizations holding Israeli prisoners to do the same, and the concern that Arab terrorists might be less inclined to turn themselves in while confronting Israeli security forces if they know that they would face the death penalty.
In the Cabinet, Premier Shimon Peres and Police Minister Haim Barlev, both of the Labor Party, oppose capital punishment. Vice Premier Yitzhak Shamir and Minister-Without-Portfolio Moshe Arens, both of Likud, have spoken out in favor. Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin has not made up his mind. It is expected, however, that Rabin’s views, when they are crystalized, will carry much weight among the ministers, including those on the right.
Unlike the death penalty, there is wide support in the Cabinet for tougher actions against terrorists, primarily deportations and administrative arrests. The Cabinet is also scheduled to discuss tomorrow ways and means to defend the Arab population in the face of Jewish extremists. The Cabinet usually meets on Sundays but it was postponed because of Tisha B’Av.
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