First, in 1948, IDF officer Meir Tobianski was executed for treason, only to be exonerated shortly after. The second case was that of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, known as the architect of the Holocaust, in 1962.
However, Dr Yossi Walfisch, chair of the IMA’s Ethics Committee, has told medics that, should the bill pass, they must not participate in administering the sentence.
He wrote to the Knesset committee that medical ethics “prohibit any participation of physicians in determining, preparing for, or carrying out the death penalty”.
“A physician is meant to heal.
“Accordingly, there is an absolute prohibition on Israeli physicians taking part, whether actively or passively, in executions, including evaluating fitness, participating in the administration of substances, monitoring vital signs, or providing technical consultation.
“Using medical knowledge for purposes other than promoting health and well-being undermines the ethical foundations of medicine.”
There had been speculation that the bill would not even pass first reading as both Yesh Atid, the largest opposition party, and Degel HaTorah, one of the two factions making up United Torah Judaism, pledged to vote against it.
But backing from the coalition and the low attendance for the vote saw it sail through first reading. It will need to pass a further three parliamentary stages before it becomes law.
Nonetheless, the sparse turnout did not prevent a febrile atmosphere from developing, with three Arab-Israeli MKs ejected from the chamber.
Ra’am MK Waleed Taha got into a war of words with coalition lawmakers, who attempted to shout down his speech, in which he accused Israel of killing civilians in Gaza.
Then, Hadash-Ta’al leader Ayman Odeh almost came to blows with Ben-Gvir, with Odeh calling the Otzma Yehudit chair a “terrorist” before being ushered away by security.