General strike in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli law that angered the Palestinians
A general strike was launched in the West Bank and East Jerusalem on Wednesday in response to Israel's new law on the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly terrorist attacks.
The Fatah organization of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is the one that launched the call for the strike. According to eyewitnesses, participation in the strike was massive. The organizers urged people to avoid clashes with Israeli soldiers at the crossing points, reports the DPA and Agerpres agencies.
The Israeli parliament approved the law by a narrow majority on Monday. The law stipulates that the death penalty or life imprisonment can be imposed for terrorist crimes aimed at the destruction of the State of Israel.
In such cases, the death penalty is mandatory for Israeli military courts in the Palestinian territories.
The law is now being evaluated by Israel's Supreme Court. International reactions to the new law were mostly critical.
Opposition lawmakers accused Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government of knowingly harming Israel's international reputation with this legislation, although they acknowledged that the law will likely be invalidated by the Israeli Supreme Court, DPA reports.
