West Bank: Mass strike in support of Gaza
Demonstrators carry a large Palestinian flag during a protest in Lebanon's southern city of Sidon on Sunday [Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP]
Palestinians in Occupied West Bank observed a mass strike called by civil society groups in an act of political opposition to the Gaza war throughout its 18 months, according to The National News.
Normal life ground to a halt in the occupied West Bank on Mo as Shops, schools and roads were empty, with only essential services staying open, such as bakeries and healthcare facilities.
Demonstrations were held in major Palestinian cities, including Ramallah and Nablus.
The general strike, which the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, called “the Day of Great Rage and Civil Disobedience against Genocide”, was in solidarity with Gaza as Israel intensified attacks and ground operations after resuming military operations in the enclave last month.
In the run-up to the strike, the PFLP said “It is time for immediate action, to show that the Palestinian people, the people of our nation, and the free people of the world do not accept this reality and that complicity and negligence cannot be silenced”.
Dimitri Diliani, a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, said the strike has been “airtight”.
He added, “This anger has been boiling for some time, especially after Israel broke the ceasefire agreement in March. Since then, genocide has been intensifying. The fact that journalists are calling and asking about the strike symbolises that it has succeeded.”
In East Jerusalem, over which Israel has complete control, Palestinians shut their businesses and pupils did not turn up for school despite the risk of punishment from authorities. There has been a severe crackdown by Israeli authorities on Palestinian political expression and freedom of speech since the war began.
The vast majority of Palestinian-owned shops in the Old City were closed, despite a recent rise in the number of tourists, a vital source of income, who have been largely absent throughout the war.
Mass absences by Palestinian pupils were reported at schools run by the city’s Israeli municipality.
Mr Diliani said, “My home happens to be surrounded by one school and three kindergartens, all run by the Israeli occupation government… There are no students there and I can see some of the teachers just sunbathing in the playground.”
The strike was also expected to inspire acts of solidarity overseas, with calls for vigils, demonstrations and social media campaigns. Demonstrations were reported in Tunisia, Morocco and Bangladesh, among other nations.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which is supposed to govern areas of the occupied West Bank, has expressed support for the strike.
Anti-PA slogans were chanted due to intense criticism for enabling Israeli control of the territory, during a demonstration in Ramallah, where the authority is based.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday at least 50,752 Palestinians have been killed and 115,475 wounded in the war, which was triggered when Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages.
Israel’s renewed bombardment that began on March 18, ending two months of ceasefire, has been among the deadliest of the entire war. At the same time, the Israeli military has stepped up operations to seize control of more than 50 per cent of Gaza’s territory, an analysis by the Associated Press found.
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