Hamas approves law to execute drug dealers

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY — The Islamist Hamas-run government ruling Gaza has approved a legal change that will allow for the execution of convicted drug dealers, its attorney general said on Monday.

"The government has approved a decision to cancel the Zionist (Israeli) military law with regard to drugs and enact Egyptian law 19 of 1962," Mohammed Abed, the attorney general, said in a statement.

"The latter law is more comprehensive in terms of crime and criminals and the penalties more advanced, including life sentences and execution."

Egypt administered the Gaza Strip from 1948 until 1967, when Israel seized the territory in the Six-Day War along with the Sinai peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

"The Zionist law included light punishments that encouraged rather than deterred those who take and trade in drugs, and there is no objective, national or moral justification for continuing to apply it," Abed said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hWfxV-FJGxAxT61_AQnG16lun6Jw

[imdjh]

1. Just what the Middle East needs; another enlightened government.

don't have the patience to look for the sarcasm thing

If Palestine comes into existence, Israel's problem will become illegal immigration.

[shaayecanaan]

2. Probably more so legal migration...

to wit, the steady stream of young Israelis who are trying to emigrate to Europe or North America. That's mostly the case with Palestinian refugees as well, who generally aim for Europe too. Apart from a small number of Sudanese refugees, not many asylum seekers head for Israel, as it is generally considered an unattractive destination, for a number of reasons.

From Europe's POV, part of the problem with Palestinian refugees is that there is no state to deport them to, so you have the option of either detaining them indefinitely or giving them citizenship.

[oberliner]

3. Completely false statement in every respect

Thousands of asylym seekers head for Israel, in many cases risking their lives in order to do so. It is actually considered one of the most attractive destinations for a number of reasons.

[shaayecanaan]

4. Completely true statement in every respect...

The Refugee Rights Forum estimates that there are 17,000 asylum seekers in Israel, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea. This is about equivalent to the amount of applications from asylum seekers that Western Europe receives every week.

The amount of asylum seekers actually granted permanent asylum in Israel since 1951 is extraordinarily low:- 170. About 100 of these have died or moved to Canada or other more attractive destinations, leaving a grand total of 70 refugees actually resident in Israel. Israel also has an immediate expulsion policy for any refugee found within 24 hours and within 50 kilometres of the border, meaning that it has the harshest refugee policy of virtually any country in either Europe or the near East.

Sudanese are vastly more likely to aim for Europe, or if not Europe, then Saudi Arabia, which is much more likely to accept Sudanese as guest workers than Israel. Israel is considered a relatively unattractive destination because of its low standard of living compared to Western Europe, as well as its draconian refugee policy.

http://www.hotline.org.il/english/pdf/Forum_Refugees_Background_Paper_Eng.pdf

[Violet_Crumble]

6. Thanks for posting that link. I had no idea about that stuff n/t

[oberliner]

14. Please allow me to correct your misinformation

Let me start with your most ridiculous and deceptive statement:

"This (17,000) is about equivalent to the amount of applications from asylum seekers that Western Europe receives every week."

Let's take a look at the reality.

In 2006, the UK received approximately 28,000 applications from people seeking asylum. You will note that the UK is a country with approximately 12 times the population of Israel.

During that same year, approximately 5,000 asylum seekers entered Israel.

If you look at countries in Europe of approximately the same size as Israel, few of them approach the numbers of asylum-seekers that choose Israel as their destination. See, for instance, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, and others.

Regionally, you will note that asylum-seekers often are willing to risk their lives to leave neighboring states such as Egypt in order to reach Israel.

[shaayecanaan]

15. The Refugee Rights Forum says that only 1,204 asylum seekers entered Israel in 2006

which, even allowing for Israel's small size, is still a low number. I'm not sure where you got your information from.

Clearly, Israel is much closer to Sudan than most European countries and would be a more feasible destination for that reason. Getting to the UK on the other hand requires two sea voyages as well as a crossing of Europe without being intercepted. Nevertheless, even on a per capita basis the UK appears to be a much more attractive destination for refugees than Israel, assuming that the 28,000 number that you quoted is correct.

Australia, which Haaretz criticised last year for having a harsh refugee policy, has offered permanent asylum to 18,727 Sudanese refugees versus the 70 that live in Israel. Even allowing for the relative sizes of the two countries, clearly Israel is much more draconian than most countries when it comes to offering asylum.

[azurnoir]

10. If your a Jew or claiming to be

the last big wave was from Russia mostly in the '90's as for Sudanese or other Africans its a bit better than Egypt

[Alamuti Lotus]

5. Poor drug dealers-- can't we have some kind of fundraiser for them?

Knee-jerk bleeding hearts should indeed aim their sights better.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Terrible, but such things are also supported by US lawmakers...

Just thought I'd point that out to give a bit of balance ;)

[azurnoir]

8. I was going to say sounds like something

you'd hear about in Texas, hope they don't get any idea's:hi:

[LeftishBrit]

9. Just checked to see if such issues had been mentioned on DU..

and immediately found this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6291220

Maybe Hamas and the far-RW Republicans need to form a coalition? On second thoughts, maybe they don't. They're bad enough separately.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. I believe support for the DP crosses party lines in the US anyway....

We're talking about a country that executes minors and those who are mentally ill. I don't have exact figures but I bet there's been support from sections of the Democratic party for those executions, and while I detest the DU with no exceptions, I find the US doing that to be much more appalling than executing drug dealers. The death penalty for dealing or possessing drugs has existed for a long time in quite a few countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia...

[ProgressiveMuslim]

12. My sentiments exactly. nt

[cali]

13. you do realize that

there are quite a few states with no dp here? And several more where although it's on the books there hasn't been an execution for decades?

I'm staunchly anti-dp but I don't find the execution of drug dealers, let alone the execution of someone for possession any less repugnant than the execution of someone who murdered as a minor or who is mentally ill.