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"Protesters took to the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank on Wednesday after Israel's Knesset passed a new law on mandatory executions for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. Footage shows demonstrators marching through the streets, chanting slogans in support of prisoners and rejecting the legislation. Sabri Saidam, deputy secretary-general of the Fatah Movement Central Committee, condemned the law, saying it "takes humanity back to the Stone Age" and pointed to international criticism. “The irony is that the very person (Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu) against whom an International Criminal Court summons has been issued is orchestrating this absurd spectacle in order to pass such a law,” he added. Issam Bakr, co-ordinator of the National Forces in Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, called for urgent international action to protect the legal rights of prisoners. The march was organised by the Fatah movement, prisoner advocacy groups and others, calling for a general strike. The law, passed by the Knesset on Monday mandates the death penalty within 90 days for individuals convicted by military courts of 'terrorism' where the intention is to 'negate the existence of the state of Israel' - with limited appeals. Technically, Israelis could be included, although they are highly unlikely to be covered by the terms of the wording. Palestinians in the West Bank are automatically tried in military courts, while the Palestinian Authority which administers that region said the law "seeks to legitimise extrajudicial killing under legislative cover". "
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