Palestinians strike in protest against Jewish state law

RAMALLAH — Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem held a general strike on Monday in support of a protest, launched by 1948-Palestinians against Israel's new Jewish State Law.

Passed in July, the ‘Nation State Law’ declares that only Jews have the right of self-determination and downgrades Arabic from its status as an official state language.

The legislation has come under fierce criticism domestically and abroad. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the law, saying it is necessary in order to fend off Palestinian challenges to Israeli Jewish self-determination.

Across the Palestinian Authority territories on Monday, schools, universities, government offices and shops were closed in solidarity with the Palestinians in the 1948-territories, who shutdown their shops and companies.

"It is the minimum we can do for our people against the racist law," said Abu Jabir Al Iraqi, a resident of the town of Taybeh, in the 1948-territory.

They identify as Palestinian and make up a fifth of Israel's 9 million. 

"I don't know if the strike we are holding in the West Bank is affecting them [Israelis] or not, or whether it is merely shutting down all the services for nothing," said Diaa Rayan, 34, as he drove his car through the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

"This strike will make no change," said Ismail Al Saidi, a butcher from Gaza. "To make a change we need weapons to fight the enemy."

In his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Netanyahu said condemnations of the law were "outlandish attacks."