Palestinians protest Mahmoud Abbas after killing activist Occupied West Bank News

Angry protesters clash with Palestinian security forces in the third protests in the occupied West Bank the death of a wide-ranging critique He died while in the custody of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Hundreds gathered in the city of Ramallah – the headquarters of the PA – to shout slogans against President Mahmoud Abbas, two days after Abbas’s forces arrested activist Nizar Banat.

According to Banat’s family, two dozen officers hit him in the head with sticks and metal rods. His death was arrested and confirmed within hours.

Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and Banat posters and demanded that 85-year-old Abbas be released. “The people want to overthrow the regime,” they shouted, “leave office, Abbas!”

“We want a comprehensive political reform that truly reflects the interests of the people,” protester Esmat Mansour told Reuters news agency.

As protesters marched on the premises of Abbas’s office, a group of supporters of the president blocked the rally and a stone-throwing was exchanged between the two sides. Palestinian security forces threw tear gas canisters and stun grenades at protesters, and many were rushed to cover.

He demanded responsibility after the death of a political activist against the PA security and a PLC candidate #NizarBanat PA under the care of THU. At least 20 protesters and three members of PA security were injured. Five journalists were attacked. AlJazeera’s latest video: pic.twitter.com/JWurEjR4uy

– Rania Zabaneh (@RZabaneh) June 26, 2021

Then, Abbas’s supporters gathered at a rally and shouted dozens: “People want Abbas president.”

At least five journalists – four of them women – were injured in the protests, including Middle Eastern correspondent Shatha Hammad, who hit her in the face with a tear gas canister.

Hammad said PA forces had “deliberately targeted” journalists and used police in riot gear to attack and arrest protesters.

PA rebels attack journalists. pic.twitter.com/1cOuBKcQNo

– Tariq Dana (@TariqNDana) June 26, 2021

According to medical sources, at least 20 people were injured in the incidents.

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the PA was engaging in “criminal conduct”.

“The savage crackdown on protesters by PA security services in the occupied West Bank is a behavioral crime and a serious violation of all humanitarian laws and regulations,” he said, adding that the PA is working against “national and moral issues”.

Witness: Security forces crushed the Ramallah march with civilian and official clothing pic.twitter.com/a74lrmndRI

– Quds News Network (@qudsn) June 26, 2021

On Thursday, protesters lit a fire, blocked streets in the city center and clashed with riot police in Ramallah.

The Palestinians also held out against the PA on Friday Banat’s funeral Hebron and armed masks fired shots into the air.

Hundreds also gathered against Abbas in the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem after Friday prayers.

‘Israeli subcontractor’

The internationally backed PA is increasingly reacting to the view that Palestinians are more corrupt and increasingly autocratic because the emergence of a three-decade peace process is nowhere near achieving Palestinian independence.

Palestinian protesters have accused PA of being a subcontractor to the Israeli occupation.

We cannot talk about what is happening on the streets of Palestine without talking about complex oppression. PA is just a contractor to the Israeli security system, both journalists and activist critics are being attacked! #JusticeForNizar #NizarBanat #LiburuPalestina pic.twitter.com/wHYxdY1710

– Mona shtaya (@Monashtayya) June 26, 2021

The PA controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and its rival Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, defeating attempts by the Fatah-PA party to dominate after being elected in 2006.

Critics of Abbas, who was elected to a four-year term in 2005, say there is little to show for more than a decade after close security coordination with Israel.

The European Union has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the PA over the years, and the United States and other nations have trained and equipped security forces. The PA is seen internationally as a key partner in efforts to restore the Middle East peace process, which was halted more than a decade ago.

Human rights groups say Abbas regularly arrests criticism. A Human Rights Watch official said Banat’s arrest was “not an anomaly.”

In a series of messages and live videos on his Facebook page, the 43-year-old Banat spoke about the PA’s close security coordination with Israel, which many Palestinians saw as treason and its corruption.

He attacked Abbas in April calling These would be the first Palestinian elections in 15 years. Banat was a legislative candidate on the board made up of academics and PA opponents.

The PA said it had formed a high-level committee to investigate Banat’s death. An initial examination by the court concluded that the cause of death was “unnatural”.