The Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, urged the government today to impose the death penalty on those convicted of treason during wartime
His statement follows the recent announcement of the arrest of seven Israelis accused of espionage on behalf of Iran.
There have been recent incidents where Israelis were arrested for spying on Iranian agents in exchange for money.
“The phenomenon of traitors who harm Israel’s security for financial gain, while we are fighting for our future in an existential war, requires the harshest measures, including a law that allows the death penalty for aiding the enemy during wartime. This is the only way to create a clear deterrent to prevent further similar cases,” Zohar emphasized in his statement.
It is unclear why Zohar made this proposal, as Israel’s criminal code already includes the death penalty, but only for extremely rare cases, with treason being one of them.
Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Nazi Holocaust, was one of only two people ever executed by the Israeli state in its 75 years of existence.
