A bill punishing certain crimes against the state with the death penalty, which was introduced in the Israel Parliament at the end of last year, has been withdrawn for redrafting by the Ministry of Justice. The Justice Minister, Dr. Pinchas Rosen, refused today to estimate when the bill would be resubmitted to Parliament and what form it would take at that time.
According to the version of the bill which was withdrawn, the death penalty was provided for crimes which endanger the existence of the state, its sovereignty or its ability to wage war. An alternate punishment is life imprisonment. Life terms are also provided for waging war against the state, spying, causing another nation to make war on Israel, or for an Israel national who serves in the armed forces of an enemy.
Trafficking in state secrets obtained without authorization from official or unofficial sources, or the publication of reports of closed meetings of Knesset committees or other government committees would be punishable by three years’ imprisonment. A one-year sentence is provided for persons who publish without authority government documents or their contents, in whole or in part.
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