Tel Aviv, November 25 (Adnkronos) – Compliance with international conventions precludes Israeli doctors from actively or passively participating in executions. This was clarified by Israel Medical Association (Ima) representative Alberto Olchovsky, speaking before the Knesset National Security Committee, after learning that the death penalty would be carried out by lethal injection. “The World Medical Association has determined that the involvement of doctors in executions is ethically unacceptable at any stage, including preparation and consultation. Our knowledge should not be used for purposes that do not promote health and well-being,” Olchovsky said.
Under the bill, sentences would be handed down by a single judge (rather than by a panel of three or five judges, as current law requires) and could not be appealed. After 90 days, the convict will be executed. Under existing law, which dates back to the British Mandate, execution is technically permitted by shooting or hanging. The new bill requires executions to be carried out by lethal injection.
This clause requires the involvement of a doctor, and not just the administration of a lethal injection. Medical knowledge is also needed to select the right type of drug and measure the lethal dose based on the convict’s weight, as well as other execution preparation steps. This means that only doctors, and not other health workers such as nurses or paramedics, can carry out these actions.
