Shops remained closed on Monday in the West Bank in observance of a general strike called for by the Palestinian leadership in Israel to protest the racist Israeli law, the Nation-State Law. (WAFA Images / Baha Nasr)  

RAMALLAH, October 1, 2018 (WAFA) – The occupied Palestinian territories and the Palestinians in Israel observed on Monday a general strike in protest against the new racist Israeli law, the Nation-State Basic Law.

Life almost came to standstill in these areas as shops were shuttered down, government and financial institutions did not open to business and schools and universities suspended classes. The strike was also observed by the public transportation.

The Palestinian leadership inside Israel represented by the Follow-Up Committee and the Nationalist and Islamic Forces in the West Bank and Gaza joined in calling for the strike to protest the negative impact of the new racist law on the life, history, culture and traditions, as well as existence of several million Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories.

The new law was passed by the Israeli parliament on July 19 despite strong local and international opposition due to its obvious racist content, which says that Israel is the land of the Jewish people and its their state, totally ignoring the existence of two million non-Jewish Palestinians in Israel and four others in the occupied territories, who are the indigenous people of this land centuries before Israel was created in 1948.

M.K.