A general strike has shut down most activity in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, in response to a new Israeli law which allows for executions of Palestinian prisoners who are convicted of killing Israelis.
The strike, announced a day prior by the Fatah movement, has resulted in shops, banks, schools, universities, and numerous other public and private institutions being shuttered. At the same time, thousands marched in Ramallah–the seat of the Palestinian Authority–to protest the law and Israeli policies, as well as express solidarity with detainees held in Israeli prisons. This was preceded by a rally in Manara square by prisoner advocacy groups, including the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Addameer Rights Group.
The law, which allows for courts to automatically impose the death penalty with neither a prosecutor’s request or unanimous judicial agreement, was approved by Israel’s Knesset on Monday. It has since drawn widespread international condemnation, as it only applies to the military courts responsible for trying occupied Palestinians. By contrast, Israeli settlers who kill Palestinians are tried in civilian courts in Israel, where they are granted a significant degree of leniency in sentencing if found guilty.
However, according to the UK’s The Guardian, Israel has yet to prosecute any of its citizens as such since the start of the decade. Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, has noted that between 2005 and 2024 conviction rates for settlers found guilty of crimes against Palestinians ran to about 3%. And some 98.3% of investigations into settler violence were closed without indictments.
Amnesty International said in February the legislation would make capital punishment, “another discriminatory tool in Israel’s system of apartheid,” and described it as “a public display of cruelty, discrimination and utter contempt for human rights”.
Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement, “Israeli officials argue that the imposing [of] the death penalty is about security, but in reality, it entrenches discrimination and a two-tiered system of justice, both hallmarks of apartheid.”
“The death penalty is irreversible and cruel. Combined with its severe restrictions on appeals and its 90-day execution timeline, this bill aims to kill Palestinian detainees faster and with less scrutiny.”
The approval of the new law was met with celebration by members of the Knesset, including congratulations from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the flourishing of a champagne bottle on the part of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
As of March 2026, at least 9,500 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, including 350 children and 73 women; who, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups, face torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has resulted in dozens of deaths. Per Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel has killed 72,000 people and wounded 172,000 since October 2023.
Ioannis Vlahos is an editorial assistant and writer for AntiWar.com. He studies history and journalism at George Mason University. Contact: ivlahos93@gmail.com
