It was an abject abomination for lawmakers in the far-right Otzma Yehudit party to wear golden lapel pins in the shape of a noose during a recent committee meeting on the controversial bill to legislate the death penalty for terrorists.

Machiavellian politicians intended for these pins to be reminiscent of the yellow ribbon badges worn to raise awareness of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. A statement from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s office explained that they intended for the noose pins to symbolize the lawmakers’ “commitment to the demand for the death penalty for terrorists” and send “a clear message that terrorists are deserving of death.”

This attempt at justification is, at best, self-deception. At worst, it is nothing short of a bald-faced lie.

Civilized humanity recognizes that these totems in actually symbolize the glorification of state killing and the sanctification of revenge that mark the true meaning of capital punishment in any form. Executions are nothing short of veiled vengeance.

The politicians adorning themselves with death were attending a meeting of the National Security Committee to deliberate on the legislation after it passed its first reading last month. Since then, the bill has undergone several changes and, in its current form, poses several........

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