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Moroccans Protest Israel Death Penalty Law at Pro-Palestinian Rally

Moroccan protesters wave flags during a rally in support of the Palestinian people and against Israel's approval of a death penalty bill, in Rabat on April 19, 2026. (AFP)
Moroccan protesters wave flags during a rally in support of the Palestinian people and against Israel's approval of a death penalty bill, in Rabat on April 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Moroccans Protest Israel Death Penalty Law at Pro-Palestinian Rally

Moroccan protesters wave flags during a rally in support of the Palestinian people and against Israel's approval of a death penalty bill, in Rabat on April 19, 2026. (AFP)
Moroccan protesters wave flags during a rally in support of the Palestinian people and against Israel's approval of a death penalty bill, in Rabat on April 19, 2026. (AFP)

Thousands of Moroccans gathered in Rabat on Sunday to voice their support for the Palestinian cause and protest a new Israeli law that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks.

The crowd of around 5,000 people marched down the capital's Mohammed V Avenue in the center of town, with many carrying Palestinian and Moroccan flags, AFP journalists reported.

The protest was called by the National Action Group for Palestine, which brings together figures from the Justice and Development party and left-wing activists.

Marchers chanted "no to the death penalty" and "no to occupation and Zionism", as well as slogans criticizing Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza.

"We're sending our support to Palestinian prisoners who are threatened by this new law on the death penalty," said Aziz El Hannaoui, a member of the organizing coalition.

The Israeli law makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed "acts of terrorism" by an Israeli military court.

It also allows the death penalty to be applied in murder cases tried in Israeli criminal courts if the perpetrator intended to "put an end to the existence of the State of Israel".

Critics have said that by effectively creating a separate legal track for Palestinians, the law appears to conflict with Israel's Basic Laws, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination.

After its passage, the law was condemned by the Palestinian Authority, activists and several foreign governments, and immediately drew a court challenge.

While the death penalty exists for a small number of crimes in Israel, it has become a de facto abolitionist country -- the Nazi Holocaust perpetrator Adolf Eichmann was the last person to be executed in 1962.

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Arab World

US Ambassador to Israel Denounces Settler Siege on Palestinians as ‘Terror’

Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP)
Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP)
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US Ambassador to Israel Denounces Settler Siege on Palestinians as ‘Terror’

Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP)
Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP)

The US ambassador to Israel, a staunch supporter of West Bank settlements, on Thursday denounced as "terror" a siege by settlers against Palestinians that drew an unsuccessful intervention by the army.

Settlers near Nablus since Sunday have blockaded Palestinian homes, including one owned by a US citizen, with residents saying they have been cut off from food and other supplies.

"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador in Jerusalem, wrote on X in response to criticism of the US response.

"No excuse for such thuggish behavior," he wrote.

Huckabee said Israel had intervened at the request of the United States, its crucial ally.

The remarks are especially striking from Huckabee, an evangelical Christian pastor who in the past has embraced Jewish settlement in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, and rejected the idea of a Palestinian state.

The Israeli military on Wednesday sent in forces who took away a tent, but witnesses said settlers defiantly remained at the site with blankets.

The army announced later Wednesday that it would send a new battalion to try to impose order.

Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased dramatically since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, among some three million Palestinians in the territory.

Arab World

Crisis Looms in Southern Iraq over Water, Electricity Shortages

People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)
People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)
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Crisis Looms in Southern Iraq over Water, Electricity Shortages

People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)
People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)

The worsening electricity crisis in Iraq continues to burden most of the population, amid rising temperatures that have surpassed 50 degrees Celsius in some southern governorates.

There are fears that the crisis could lead to local conflicts between some governorates, given that some receive up to 20 hours of power, while others receive only about 10 at best.

In Dhi Qar, a number of residents threatened to cut off water from the Al-Bidaa canal and prevent it from reaching the Basra Governorate in the far south if they do not receive more hours of electricity. A video showed dozens of citizens holding signs that read: "Water for electricity."

The canal is a main channel for drinking water to Basra, flowing from the Tigris River through Dhi Qar. Cutting it off may lead to a humanitarian and service crisis for millions of Basra residents, who already suffer from water salinity and irregular supply to their homes.

An official source in Dhi Qar dismissed the citizens' ability to cut off the water supply. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the protests reflect anger over deteriorating electricity services in the governorate, but it will not reach the stage of cutting off water or bartering it for electricity.

The source said the problem relates to the Al-Fuhoud and Al-Chibayish areas bordering Basra.

Al-Chibayish receives enough electricity from Basra, unlike the Al-Fuhoud, which receives around two hours for every four-hour cut from Dhi Qar, making the residents’ anger justified, added the source.

The official source said the crisis is not limited to Dhi Qar, but affects most of Iraq, especially the south.

Citizens in six governorates, including Baghdad, demonstrated a few days ago to protest the shortage of electricity.

In Wasit, which borders Dhi Qar, hundreds took to the streets over the past two days in protest against the power cuts.

The demonstrations led to clashes with police and anti-riot forces, who were forced to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, prompting criticism from MPs who demanded a probe into the unrest.

Energy officials and experts warned that the crisis will likely continue for years due to the stark disparity between demand and production capacity. The country's needs are estimated at around 60,000 megawatts, while current production does not exceed 25,000 megawatts.

Arab World

Iraq PM Aiming for Legislation that Limits Possession of Weapons to the State

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)
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Iraq PM Aiming for Legislation that Limits Possession of Weapons to the State

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stressed that October 1 will be a new chapter for the state after the withdrawal of all foreign military forces from the country.

By then, it would have achieved national sovereingty over its territories as it continues to build its military and security capabilities to allow it to protect its security and stability by itself, he added.

September 30 is the deadline for both the withdrawal of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition forces from Iraq and pro-Iran armed factions to lay down their weapons.

The PM made his remarks during a meeting with Commander of the US Central Command Brad Cooper in Baghdad.

Al-Zaidi underscored the deadline for the troop withdrawal, adding that imposing state monopoly over weapons “according to the law, protects everyone and bolsters the authority and sovereignty of the state.”

“It is a condition for Iraq to move to a new phase of development,” he stressed.

The PM said he was aiming for a draft-law on limiting the possession of weapons to the state.

Sources said that this may lead to a potential confrontation with the armed factions that refuse to lay down their weapons.

Meeting with members of the parliamentary security and defense committee, al-Zaidi said that the “greatest threat to the state” was the possession of weapons outside state control because it undermines the rule of law and state institutions.

He called for preparing the draft-law, stressing the need to “bolster the standing of the state and its sovereignty and institutions.”

Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqi constitution stipulates that military and security forces should be under the command of civilian authority. It bars the formation of militias outside state frameworks.

He noted that the law that established the Popular Mobilization Forces in 2016 says that they are a state formation, but it demands that its members quit any parties they are members of.

The greatest challenge with the state imposing state monopoly over arms is “defining the concept of weapons.” He explained that the armed factions believe their weapons are part of a “resistance” and in line with the PMF law.

The state, on the other hand, views these weapons as outside its authority and they need to come under its control, he added.