Thousands protest in Amsterdam against Israel’s controversial death penalty law for Palestinians

Article by Viory

Thousands marched through the streets of Amsterdam on Saturday for International Palestinian Land Day, protesting Israel’s new death penalty law for Palestinians tried in military courts.

Footage shows large crowds chanting as they moved through the city with flags, signs and banners reading, ‘legalised lynching’ and ‘stop Trump’s war on Iran.’ Police are later seen detaining a protester following a confrontation at the demonstration.

“Israel does not have the capacity to take these prisoners on, so it does what it can, which is to execute these people. There is no way to turn aside this escalation. […] It is another form of genocide and escalation. More than that, it is disgusting,” a protester said.

“European countries have complained to the Israeli government, which is very nice of them, very gentle, but they do not do much else. What they should do, however, is full sanctions, full disinvestment, full boycott of Israel,” added a second.

On Monday, Israel passed a law authorising the death penalty for those convicted of ‘terror offences’ in military courts – where conviction rates stand at roughly 96–99% – with sentences to be carried out within 90 days.

This was pushed by the National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, as a key victory for his Otzma Yehudit party within Netanyahu’s coalition.

Under this new law, prisoners will now face a mandatory death sentence by a simple majority vote and with limited appeal opportunities. The law has been condemned by the UN, the EU, and human rights organisations worldwide.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was meant to “strengthen deterrence against terrorism and to ensure those who carry out deadly attacks face the full force of the law.” The United States expressed support for Israel’s ‘sovereign right to determine its own laws’.

In the last month alone, local monitoring groups say Israeli forces carried out over 7,300 incidents against Palestinians, including killings, raids, arrests, property destruction and restrictions on freedom of movement, which Israel denies.

Article by Viory