Turn the tables on Hamas - The Jewish Standard

Shmuley Boteach proposed a death sentence for terrorists in order to pre-empt the next Shalit affair by eliminating the lures that motivate Hamas to undertake a kidnapping operation. Alas, his proposal lacks viability inasmuch as various streams of Israeli democracy and the expected international outcry may block it.

It is easy to accept the compelling need for Israel to quickly map out some form of pre-emptive strategy before the next kidnapping comes to pass. It is also apparent that Israeli democracy will not be easily swayed in the direction pointed out by Boteach, namely, a blanket death sentence for all terrorists.

Accordingly, consider this alternative approach:

Israel legislates that individuals convicted of terrorism be sentenced to death, but that the sentence will be postponed until the next kidnapping occurs.

Then Israel, by dint of its fully prepublicized and fully enacted legislation, puts the onus on the kidnappers (Hamas or whoever) by declaring that each day (or week) the kidnapped victim is held captive, it will trigger the execution of a previously sentenced terrorist. Thus, the terrorists themselves will trigger the death sentence on one of their own.

This scheme would place the fate of the duly convicted terrorists in the hands of their cohort.

The terrorists, of course, will have the power to save their comrades from death by not kidnapping anyone.

This scheme will not vitiate all objections to a court-mandated death sentence, but it will add perspective, and redirect the proverbial finger at the terrorists.

This approach requires numerous refinements. But, at least, one would hope that it becomes part of the discussion taking place in Israel.

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