Thousands protested in solidarity with Palestine throughout Syria in early April, demanding the liberation of Al Aqsa Mosque in Israeli-occupied Jerusalem and freedom for Palestinian prisoners after the Israeli parliament passed a law legalizing the execution of Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli law, officially titled the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law”, was passed by the Israeli Knesset on March 30 and prescribes execution by hanging for those found guilty of terrorism charges. The law only applies to Palestinians and not to Jewish Israelis.
Over 9,500 Palestinians are held as prisoners by the Zionist state. Roughly 50% are held without a trial or formal charges. Those who receive a trial are tried in military courts with a 99.7% conviction rate.
In Quneitra, Syria, where residents have borne the brunt of Israel’s recent incursions into southern Syria from the occupied Golan Heights, many protesters approached the front lines of combat. The Israeli occupation forces responded by firing flares at the unarmed protesters and shelling a vehicle in the countryside, killing at least one Syrian teenager.
At the University of Aleppo, thousands of protesters gathered on campus carrying Palestinian flags and chanting, “With our souls, with our blood, we will redeem you, Palestine” and “Freedom for the prisoners of Palestine.”
In Damascus, several protesters attempted to storm the embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in response to the Emiratis’ collaboration with Israel and US imperialism. Syrian security forces were mobilized to protect the embassy and prevent protesters from entering the compound.
Protests also broke out in the West Bank and Gaza.
In the West Bank, a general strike was declared by the collaborationist ruling Fatah Party, while combative protests broke out at Israeli checkpoints.
In Gaza, the families of Palestinian prisoners of war gathered outside the International Committee of the Red Cross on March 31, raising Palestinian flags and photographs of their imprisoned relatives.
Palestinian resistance factions released a statement condemning the barbaric law and how it reveals “the state of fear, incapacity, and bankruptcy of the zionist entity,” and that “Every attempt to harm [the prisoners] sheds light once again on the justice of their cause and exposes [Israel’s] claims of adherence to the law and human rights.”
The statement called for international mobilizations against the law, stating, “what the prisons failed to achieve, the gallows will not achieve, and the enemy will pay the price for its actions and its criminal laws.”
Image: Displaced families from the Jenin refugee camp protest the execution law. Credit: Resistance News Network.
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