Photo: depositphotos.
On 21 October, Israel found itself at the centre of an espionage scandal involving Iran. The investigation into the espionage activities of seven Israelis has sparked a broad debate about possible penalties for treason. According to Vesty, this raises the question of the most severe measures, ranging from deprivation of citizenship to the death penalty.
According to Israeli law, espionage falls under several categories of crimes, which are punishable by various types of sentences ranging from 10 years in prison to life imprisonment. However, some politicians, including Minister of Sport and Culture Miki Zohar, have called for harsher measures, including the death penalty, for “bought traitors” working for enemy states.
Espionage: penalties and categories
Israeli law distinguishes five types of espionage, each with different features and degrees of severity. The most serious crimes, such as passing information to the enemy, are punishable by terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. A striking example is former Minister Gonen Segev, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying for Iran. Despite the fact that his actions were considered aggravated espionage, he was not charged with treason.
Mordechai Vanunu, known as the “nuclear spy”, was convicted in 1986 for disclosing classified information about the Dimona nuclear reactor. He was charged with aggravated espionage and high treason, for which he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Although the death penalty for high treason is provided for by law, it was not applied to Vanunu, as in most other cases.
Journalist Anat Kam was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for passing classified documents to a journalist rather than an enemy, which explains the leniency of her sentence compared to other cases.
Is the death penalty possible for espionage?
In fact, the death penalty is rarely applied in Israel. The last time it was used was in the case of the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. However, the current calls for the death penalty for wartime espionage have a political basis. Minister Miki Zohar has stated that in order to prevent future betrayals, Israel must impose extremely harsh penalties.
In addition, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel initiated consideration of revoking the citizenship of Israelis suspected of spying for Iran. Arbel emphasised that the state must act decisively, eradicating traitors from its ranks.
The investigation of the spy network in Israel has raised the question of the adequacy of the current penalties for treason. Despite the harshness of Israeli espionage laws, the death penalty remains unlikely at this time. However, growing pressure from politicians may lead to a reconsideration of this issue, especially in the context of national security in times of war.
