Murders are very frequent in Palestine, declared Sir Herbert Samuel today in the course of giving evidence in his capacity as former Home Secretary before a select committee of the House of Commons which is considering a capital punishment bill with a view to deciding whether capital punishment should be abolished or retained. Sir Herbert was the first High Commissioner in Palestine.
He said that he would be very chary about recommending its abolition in a country like Palestine. At present, he pointed out, the risk is too great. Speaking of the question generally Sir Herbert said that “capital punishment may be justified if it is necessary as a deterrent and for that reason alone.” While he was Home Secretary in the last Liberal government he reprieved eight of the fourteen condemned people that came before him.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
