Death Penalty to Terrorists: Attitudes of Students at the Ari'el University Center, Israel

The problem of death penalty is complex by definition, entailing on one hand moral considerations, as well as commitment to the universal value of the sanctity of human life, and on the other hand some down-to-earth practical considerations. By the end of 2002, 76 states abolished capital punishment altogether. Fifteen other states allow death sentence only at wartime. Bearing in mind this overall picture as well as the cruel reality of terrorism confronting Israelis on a daily basis, a pilot survey was carried out among 40 students at the College of Judea & Samaria in order to explore the students’ attitudes toward death penalty for terrorists. Several interesting findings emerged. The most important one was that on the whole students strongly support death penalty for terrorists. Another important one is the strong link between religiosity as well as political inclination and the students’ attitudes. Last but not least, it emerged that universal considerations were paramount in crystallizing the students’ attitudes in this respect. The Paper elaborates on both the findings and the emerging problems.