Palestinians in occupied territories to join Palestinian-Israelis in strike over 'racist' Jewish nation law

Palestinians in occupied territories to join Palestinian-Israelis in strike over 'racist' Jewish nation law
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem will close schools, universities, shops and government offices on Monday.
2 min read
30 September, 2018
Palestinians in Tel Aviv protested the Nation State Law in August [Getty]
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem will strike on Monday in solidarity with Palestinian citizens of Israel protesting the recently-passed nation state law.

Several clauses contained in the law passed in July have caused anger at home and internationally, especially since the text is part of Israel's so-called basic laws - a de facto constitution.

It makes no mention of equality or democracy, implying that Israel's Jewish nature takes precedence - something for which Israel's far-right religious nationalist politicians have long advocated despite it creating a de-facto apartheid.

It also makes Hebrew the sole official language, downgrading Arabic to 'special' status only.

Palestinian Israelis, the descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land when Israel was created in 1948, make up around 17.5 percent of Israel's population.

Leaders of Israel's Palestinian community have called for their private sector to strike, Reuters reported, while communities in the Palestinian territories have said schools, universities, government offices and shops will close in solidarity.

However the strike is expected to have limited effect in Israel as Monday is a holiday for its Jewish majority who are marking the end of the Sukkot festival.

"The strike is a message to the world that the cause of apartheid and racism is something that should not only be dealt with internally but it should be talked about globally," Mohammed Barakeh, a Palestinian-Israeli former lawmaker told Reuters: "