Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita is among the voice of opposition to Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s new bill, calling for the death penalty for terrorists.

Last week, the bill passed preliminary approval in the Knesset with a narrow 52-49 majority. An additional 3 rounds of voting are still required for passage.

The rav made his remarks during his Motzei Shabbos shiur. The rav warned of a case in which there is a “Jewish terrorist, Hashem Yerachem!” who will be subject to the same penalty.

Rav Yosef then told a story of a meeting with the President of Israel, which included heads of different faiths. He explained the Muslim representatives began speaking out harshly against Jews because of the Palestinian family burned to death by Jewish terrorists in the arson attack in Duma.

Rav Yosef said, “I stood up and told him ‘I have a different example. With you, there are such actions daily, thousands if not tens of thousands and you are making a comparison? There is one [among us] and everyone condemned him and his actions including the Chief Rabbis. ‘Did you issue a condemnation of what they did on Shabbos’ [in N’vei Tzuf when a terrorist slaughtered members of the Solomon family at their Shabbos seuda.] In addition, Rav Yosef explained “We are not a Sanhedrin”, indicating he does not feel we have the halachic basis to take a life.

The rav continued, that if the death penalty is voted in, then that same Jew who burned the family from Duma will be subject to the death penalty too. He should have it, but with ‘misa bidei Shomayim’ and not by the hands of mortal men.

During the Knesset discussion on the bill, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his support providing the bill applies to Jews as well.

Rav Yosef added that in addition, experts at the Shin Bet have stated that if a terrorist is sentenced to death, before the execution is carried out it will result in the kidnapping or deaths of more Jews and therefore, they too are opposed. Rav Yosef added “All real great rabbonim are also opposed.”

Rav Yosef reiterated his warning that if a terrorist is sentenced to death, then until the execution, “There will be protests worldwide and Jews in France, Spain and other areas will be in danger. What will really be benefited from this? All the security experts explain there is little gain. This is the reason the true great chachamim always opposed this…”

Current law requires unanimous support by the judges for the death penalty to be carried out, and thus the only execution in Israel’s history was that of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. If the bill passes, an simple majority would suffice to sentence a terrorist to death.

The Shas party voted in favor of the bill while Yahadut Hatorah abstained. Rav Yosef’s opposition makes it less likely Shas will support the bill.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)