Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has issued a direct appeal Israel's leadership, urging them to abandon legislative proposals currently before the Knesset that would expand the death penalty. In official letters addressed to Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, and to the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, he has expressed deep concern over the potential consequences of these measures.
"The Council of Europe opposes the death penalty in all places and in all circumstances. The texts currently under examination in the Knesset would represent a grave step backwards from Israel's long-standing de facto moratorium. I call on the Israeli authorities to abandon these proposals," said the Secretary General.
The death penalty has no place in modern justice and is incompatible with respect for fundamental human rights. In line with those principles, capital punishment cannot be applied by the 46 Council of Europe member states, reflecting a clear and longstanding regional consensus grounded in respect for human dignity and the right to life.
Israel abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 1954 and has carried out no executions since 1962. On 25 March 2026, the Council of Europe's Ministers' Deputies expressed deep concern over the draft laws currently under examination in the Knesset that would expand the death penalty in Israel and called on the Israeli authorities to abandon them. On 27 March 2026, PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty Gala Veldhoen also urged Knesset members to reject the bill.
The Knesset has held observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 1957, and Israel also participates in a number of Council of Europe conventions and cooperation mechanisms.
In this context, any development departing from European human rights standards risks moving Israel further away from the framework of values with which it has long chosen to align itself. This also raises broader concerns regarding respect for international law.
The Secretary General has also informed the Ministers' Deputies - the representatives of the Council of Europe's 46 member states responsible for ongoing decision-making - of the steps taken.
The Council of Europe continues to work for the universal abolition of the death penalty, in line with the Reykjavik Declaration adopted by Heads of State and Government in 2023.
Secretary General Alain Berset
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The Council of Europe and abolition of the death penalty
