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Protests Erupt in West Bank as Israel Approves Death Penalty for Palestinians
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.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Protests erupt in West Bank as Israel approves death penalty for Palestinians
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets across the embattled Palestinian territories on Tuesday, a day after Israel's parliament passed a measure establishing the death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.
West Bank Businesses Strike to Protest Israel’s Death Penalty Law
Palestinian shops across the West Bank and East Jerusalem were closed yesterday in protest against Israel’s new death penalty law that applies only to Palestinians. Hundreds also gathered in Ramallah to march against the legislation backed by Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Al Jazeera reported that one protester held a sign reading “stop the law to execute prisoners, before it’s too late”. Members of Ben-Gvir’s Je…
In Ramallah, in the West Bank, closed shops and desert streets mark the general strike called to protest against the new law passed by the Israeli parliament on the death penalty. Criticized by the EU, the UN and the main human rights organizations, the measure authorizes the execution of Palestinians sentenced for fatal terrorist attacks. The article Penalty of Death in Israel, protests and strikes in the West Bank against the law comes from Il…
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.
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