US EditionWest Bank Stages General Strike Against New Israeli Death Penalty Law
Fatah called the strike as about 150 protesters marched against a law that sets death as the default sentence in military courts.
- Palestinian shops, schools, and public institutions across the West Bank shuttered on Wednesday in a general strike protesting a controversial new Israeli law permitting the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly terror attacks.
- The Knesset passed the legislation late Monday with 62 votes, instructing military courts to impose capital punishment for acts defined as "terrorism." The law takes effect in 30 days and notably excludes Jewish Israelis convicted of similar crimes.
- Major cities including Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus witnessed near-total shutdowns, while protesters burned tires at the Qalandia checkpoint. Al-Quds University student Mohammed Gussein called the measure "completely out of touch with humanity, and completely racist."
- Riman, a 53-year-old psychologist from Ramallah, told AFP that most Palestinian families have relatives imprisoned, saying "The occupation is betting on the weakness of the street." More than 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons.
- Violence in the West Bank has soared since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. Over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, deepening anger over the new death penalty law.
15 Articles
15 Articles
On Monday, 30 March, the Israeli Parliament adopted a law establishing "the death penalty for terrorists", tailored to apply only to Palestinians found guilty of deadly anti-Israeli attacks. The Palestinian Authority denounced the "legitimation of extrajudicial executions" and called for a day of general strike.
The Netanyahu government has passed a capital punishment law designed to apply only to Palestinians.
Ramallah shut down in strike against Israel’s death penalty law
The occupied West Bank witnessed a near-total shutdown on Wednesday due to a general strike in protest against Israel’s recently approved death penalty law targeting Palestinians. Public and private institutions, including schools, universities, banks, and shops, were all closed for the strike, while bakeries remained open. The Fatah Movement had called for the strike on Tuesday. Streets in Ramallah, the seat of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authori…
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