The German government on Tuesday expressed "great concern" over the Israeli parliament's decision to introduce the death penalty for convicted terrorists.
"Understandably, Israel has taken a hard line against terrorism since October 7," said government spokesman Stefan Kornelius in Berlin. "However, the German government views the law passed yesterday with great concern."
Opposition to the death penalty is a fundamental feature of German policy, he said.
The German government is also concerned that such a law "would likely apply exclusively to Palestinians in the Palestinian territories," Kornelius added. "It therefore regrets the Knesset’s decision and cannot endorse it."
The Knesset, Israel's parliament, approved the bill on Monday. It provides that the death penalty or life imprisonment may be imposed for terrorist-motivated murder with the aim of destroying the State of Israel.
Israel abolished the death penalty for murder in 1954 and retained it only in exceptional cases. The execution of the German Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962 was the last carried out in Israel.
Flying without a Real ID? That'll soon cost you $45, TSA says.- Find the Insider facts of Viable Advertising: Building a Positive Brand Picture
- Oldest sequenced RNA reveals details about a mammoth’s final moments 40,000 years
- Nikki Glaser returns as host of the 2026 Golden Globes: Everything the comedian has said about the upcoming awards show
- Boeing's troubled capsule won't carry astronauts on next space station flight
- Vote in favor of your Favored sort of footwear
- How Deforestation Is Reshaping Mosquito-Human Contact
- Watching ‘Home Alone’ with the kids this holiday season? Brace yourself for '6-7.'
- An ex-FBI agent analyzes what we learned from Savannah Guthrie's 'Today' show interview amid the search for her mother Nancy
