West Bank Observes General Strike Against Israel's New Death Penalty Law; IDF Kills 2 in Rock-Throwing Incident

Palestinians across the occupied West Bank held a general strike and mass protests on April 1 against Israel's new death penalty law, passed by the Knesset on March 30 and championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The law allows Israeli courts to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of terror offenses resulting in Israeli deaths — the first expansion of capital punishment for security offenses since Israel's founding. Hundreds demonstrated in Ramallah; IDF forces responded with rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas against protesters. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the law, stating its application to residents of the occupied Palestinian territory 'would constitute a war crime.' Separately, IDF snipers killed two Palestinians in the West Bank who were accused of throwing rocks at Israeli vehicles on a main road — bringing the West Bank death toll since October 7, 2023 to at least 1,138. Al Jazeera noted critics viewed the law as a tool of deterrence rather than a genuine change in sentencing practice, with Israel having conducted only one execution in its entire history.