The Israeli Ambassador to Chile, Peleg Lewi (pictured), defended the recent law passed by the Israeli Parliament that allows for the death penalty by hanging for Palestinian prisoners on March 31.
In response to a note published by the newspaper La Tercera on the issue, Lewi stated on social media platform X that this law targets «terrorists» and emphasized that Israel, as a «sovereign country,» has the right to enact its own legislation.
Peleg Lewi argued, «For over a century, even before its establishment, Israel has been the target of ongoing, brutal, and escalating terrorism. No other nation faces a threat of such intensity and sustained scale.»
The ambassador further contended that existing punitive measures have proven inadequate as deterrents. He pointed out that life sentences are not always definitive, as many terrorists do not serve their full sentences and are often released through prisoner exchanges, which subsequently encourages more acts of terrorism and kidnapping.
Additionally, according to Lewi, the newly passed legislation is «limited in scope and adheres to generally accepted principles governing the application of the death penalty, similar to existing frameworks in the United States,» recalling that the death penalty is already part of Israeli law.
Response from the Palestinian Community
In response to this justification, the Palestinian Community directly addressed Lewi on the same platform.
“Ambassador, in Chile we do not accept lessons on justice from a representative of the criminal government of Benjamin Netanyahu. When your authorities promote a law with a noose on their lapel, the problem is not communicational. It is moral,” stated Palestinian residents.
The community then provided some telling statistics regarding the matter: “The conviction rate of Palestinians by Israel (in military courts) is 99.74%. The conviction rate in Israel for reported attacks by settlers against Palestinians is only 1.8%.”
Finally, regarding the law permitting the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, the Palestinian Community in Chile reminded Ambassador Lewi that “Israel does not have the authority to impose its penal legislation in an occupied territory such as Palestine. Your lies in Chile are falling on deaf ears.”
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