We are deeply upset by, and vehemently oppose, the law passed in the Knesset earlier today approving the use of the death penalty.
As currently written, the bill introduces a discriminatory framework into Israeli law. It mandates the death penalty in cases involving Palestinian suspects in the West Bank, while preserving judicial discretion in comparable cases involving Israelis, and excluding entirely cases in which Israeli settlers kill Palestinians. This unequal application of justice is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of equality and fairness.
Jewish tradition places the highest possible value on human life, and Jewish commitment to the sanctity of life and the moral responsibility to avoid irreversible harm.
Legislation that mandates the death penalty, while removing judicial discretion and safeguards, undermines both Jewish and democratic values. It risks eroding the principle that all people are entitled to equal protection and dignity under the law.
Israel faces real and ongoing security challenges. However, evidence shows that the death penalty does not deter violence and may instead deepen cycles of harm and injustice.
“When we reflect on both our Jewish values and the Canadian values we are meant to share with Israel, this law is fundamentally out of step,” said JSpaceCanada Executive Director Maytal Kowalski. “As Pesach approaches, we recall the tradition that God silenced the angels as the Egyptians drowned—reminding us to center compassion and redemption, not retribution. We cannot continue to drift from our core Jewish and Canadian values. We call on Jewish communal leaders to join us in speaking out against this harmful legislation.”