LONDON: Palestinians across the occupied towns of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, observed a general strike on Wednesday in protest against the Israeli Knesset’s approval of the death penalty law for prisoners.
Fatah, the ruling movement of the Palestinian Authority, called for action and affirmed that the legislation would not break the will of the Palestinian people or their prisoners, according to the Wafa news agency.
“Rather, (it) will strengthen their determination to continue the struggle for their freedom and legitimate rights,” Fatah’s statement said.
On Monday, 62 Israeli lawmakers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voted in favor of the bill, while 48 voted against it.
Palestinians in the West Bank convicted by Israeli military courts of carrying out deadly attacks labeled as “terrorism” will face the death penalty as the default sentence. The law does not apply to Israeli settlers living in the same area and who commit similar offenses, as they are tried before civilian judges.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described it as “deeply discriminatory” and called for its immediate repeal.
“Its application to residents of the occupied Palestinian territory would constitute a war crime,” Turk said.
