Protests erupt in West Bank after Israel approves death penalty for Palestinians
Palestinians rally against law imposing hanging as default sentence for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis
TEL AVIV, Israel (MNTV) — Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets across the occupied West Bank and Gaza in response to a new law passed by the Israeli parliament that establishes the death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis.
Demonstrations included sit-ins, marches, and strikes, particularly in Nablus and northern West Bank towns.
Protesters carried signs condemning the measure, with slogans such as “Time is running out and silence is deadly” and images of Palestinian prisoners under nooses, warning of the law’s extreme implications for detainees.
The Fatah political party has called a general strike in northern West Bank in protest of the legislation.
The new law mandates that West Bank military courts — which exclusively try Palestinians — impose the death penalty as the default sentence for murder convictions, with exceptions only in limited circumstances.
Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right figure who led the push for the law, celebrated its approval as a symbol of national strength.
Though the law will not affect current prisoners and is not retroactive, its passage represents a sharp hardening of Israel’s penal policy against Palestinians, eliciting fear among families of detainees and human rights groups.
Protesters in Nablus chanted in support of imprisoned Palestinians, holding images of figures such as Marwan Barghouti, while emphasizing resistance and steadfastness.
Palestinian officials condemned the law as a violation of international law, calling for global intervention. Amnesty International warned that the measure could breach fundamental human rights protections, including the right to life and prohibitions on torture and cruel treatment.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry demanded sanctions against Israel’s parliament and its suspension from international bodies, describing the legislation as a formalized tool for extrajudicial killings targeting Palestinians.
The law also allows Israeli courts to impose the death penalty on Israeli citizens convicted of politically motivated murders, effectively restricting its application primarily to Palestinians while excluding Jewish citizens.
In response, Israeli rights groups and opposition lawmakers have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the legislation.
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