Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about recent Israeli legislation introducing the death penalty for people convicted under military court systems.
It is my belief that the vote by the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, to impose the death penalty, in essence specifically to Palestinians is entirely wrong. The principle of justice being applied to people on an equal basis is a fundamental one.
Any law which either directly, or indirectly, seeks to create different classifications of justice or punishment based on ethnicity or religion is wrong. My understanding is that the law passed by the Knesset does precisely that.
Moreover, the new legislation tightly restricts access to the accused for their legal counsel or close family further limiting their rights for justice.
The UK government should not ignore this. It should make clear its position on this matter and speak directly with Israel's Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Thank you again for getting in contact.
Sincerely,
