Why is the Palestinian Authority raping the opposition? | Occupied West Bank

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – The Palestinian Authority (PA) has stepped up its crackdown on political opponents in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in recent months, analysts say.

The PA, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, has since November blocked the release of Palestinian prisoners affiliated with other political parties, including Gaza-based resistance groups, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Perhaps more debatable is the fact that Israeli pro-Palestinian funeral processions – which Palestinians call “martyrs” – have also been disrupted by PA security forces in an effort to suppress public demonstrations in favor of opposing parties.

On several occasions, PA security forces became violent, including throwing tear gas at the crowd, making preventive arrests of participants in the event, forcibly confiscating Hamas, PIJ and Palestinian Liberation Front (PFLP) party flags, and live ammunition. throwing it into the air.

Last month, a young Palestinian man, 24-year-old Amir al-Leddawi, was killed in injuries sustained when he overturned his vehicle. Procession to celebrate the release of 61-year-old Hamas leader Shaker Amara in Jericho.

PA officials say an investigation has been launched into the young man’s death, the results of which are yet to be announced.

Yousif al-Zumur, head of a commission of inquiry at the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho, where al-Leddawi’s family lives, told Al Jazeera that the investigation would be completed by January 30, after which the results would be made public.

In late November, Amjad Abu Sultan, a 14-year-old man, was shot dead by Israeli forces in the town of Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem. he was strongly prevented from mourning From carrying, confiscating and smashing Hamas, PIJ and PFLP flags.

The PFLP responded with a note saying The PA and its security services “should take responsibility for ending irresponsible campaigns, threats and systematic promotion against political parties, opponents and activists,” Hamas said. [Israeli] its policies to persecute the occupation and resistance in the West Bank. ”

Decreasing the reputation of the PA

The number of searches carried out in processions to welcome the released prisoners rose sharply in mid-November in the days following the funeral of Hamas leader and former minister Wasfi Qabha. Dozens of armed men appeared publicly He did it with Hamas banners at the funeral – and, to a lesser extent, with the PIJ – raised.

Political analyst Hani al-Masry believes the new trend to hinder funeral and prisoner release processions is likely to lead to a decline in the AP’s popularity, as the political project to form a state for 4.5 million Palestinians living in the country has failed. Occupied territories in 1967 in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

“The PA is afraid of the growth of other factions, as well as the decline of its position, and [potential] al-Masry, director of the Palestinian Center for Strategic Policy Research and Analysis in Masalla – Ramallah, told Al Jazeera.

He noted that Hamas and the PIJ’s reputation in the West Bank has been rising since May, while al-Mas said the two armed movements are “preaching resistance,” while the PA is calling for “negotiations and peaceful resistance, as we saw in President Abbas’s commitments. [Israeli Defence Minister] Benny Gantz ”.

“Therefore, any influence of Hamas, PIJ and PFLP puts the PA and its survival to the test,” he continued.

The support of the Hamas people increased dramatically during the year 11-day Israeli bombing the besieged Gaza Strip, below Israel’s attempts to relocate by force Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah district of occupied East Jerusalem, and widespread clashes with Israeli forces throughout historic Palestine. In popular protests, one of the loudest shouts was greeted by Mohammad al-Deif, commander of Hamas’s military wing, al-Qassam Brigade.

If President Abbas were to run for the presidency of Hamas political office Ismail Haniyeh, the latter would gain 58% compared to 35% for the former. The poll also suggests that 71% of Palestinians condemn Abbas’s actions. According to the poll, if Hamas were to run in the legislative elections, it would win 38%, compared to 35% for Fatah.

The charged atmosphere in the West Bank has also led to the arrests of Palestinian activists.

Lawyers for Justice, the legal office representing political detainees, documented 112 arrests in November and December, out of a total of 340 in 2021. The group’s director, Muhannad Karajah, said: “In the last two months, the rate of arrests has multiplied.”

“We documented cases of arrests or summonses and interrogations for participating in Wasfi Qaba’s funeral or the release of detainees,” he told Al Jazeera.

“In one case in Qalqiliya, security services called 20 people to warn them not to take part in the prisoner release celebrations. Students from Birzeit and An-Najah universities have been arrested for holding celebrations to mark the start of the Hamas movement, ”he continued.

Sensitive issues

PIJ leader Khader Adnan witnessed several events to release the prisoners, where the AP tried to prevent the Hamas and PIJ banners from being raised.

“I was in the village of Tammun in Tuba when the security forces attacked the convoy of prisoner Azmi Bani Ouda, who had been released. They cut off the convoy and followed those carrying Islamic Jihad banners, “Adnan told Al Jazeera.

In another incident he saw in Tulkarmen, security forces cornered a convoy of Hamas member Muhammad al-Arif, who had been released from prison. Security forces fired tear gas at the crowd as they arrived at the reception hall and pulled out a pair of Hamas banners.

Adnan said there had been no armed groups in the two events, nor any clashes with security forces or verbal clashes.

He said the issue was not limited to Hamas, the main enemy of the PA in the occupied West Bank.

The armed political movement, Hamas, has been the de facto ruler of the besieged Gaza Strip since 2007 after being defeated in the Fatah parliamentary elections. He was expelled from the Fatah List in an attempted coup attempt, which resulted in several weeks of violent fighting. The two sides have since ruled the occupied Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with internal divisions driven by Palestinian policies.

“At the funeral of the martyr Amjad Abu Sultan in Bethlehem, banners of the PFLP, Hamas and Islamic Jihad were confiscated, and it suggests that the PA does not want a resistance faction in the West Bank,” Adnan said.

“We have been barred from participating in national university activities for years,” he said, adding that “members of Islamic Jihad and Hamas are unable to work in government institutions for security reasons.”

Matched Khaled al-Hajj, who saw several similar obstacles in the security forces as the leader of Hamas in Jenin. He described the issue of prisoners as a “sensitive issue” for the Palestinian people, who were accustomed to honoring and celebrating their freedom.

“People were shocked by this coup against Palestinian traditions; their processions were attacked and sprayed with tear gas. This is a dangerous issue that needs to be stopped. Otherwise, it could lead to unexpected reactions, “he told Al Jazeera.

“Security services have been concerned, especially since a song was recently released in the West Bank that recognizes Mohammad al-Deif as a hero,” al-Hajj added.

Violation of freedom of expression

On December 13, security forces held a funeral procession for a Palestinian who was shot dead in an armed clash with Israeli forces in Nablus.

Although Kayyal was linked to Fatah, PA agents fired tear gas at the mourners, while gunmen fired shots into the air at the funeral.

The PA justified the incident, saying that “it is unacceptable for gunmen to shoot at the lives of those in procession, including members of the security forces,” Palestinian security spokesman Talal Dwaikat said in a Palestinian official news release. agency.

Political analyst Nihad Abu Ghosh believes that PA violence is not limited to Palestinian opposition factions, and cites an example of the PA response. mass demonstrations against the assassination of a Palestinian activist Nizar Banat was arrested by security forces in June 2021.

He said it was a “sign of vulnerability” and showed that the PA was afraid of its own survival. The PA does this to “obstruct the growth of these protests or movements; They could become a broader phenomenon of protest, eventually overthrowing the PA, ”Abu Ghosh said.

“The PA is acting in this way out of fear, as it shows that it is in a real crisis,” he continued, noting his deep financial problems and inability to protect the Palestinians.

The PA was formed in 1994 as a temporary and five-year governing body under the Oslo Accords signed by Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, which sought to bring them to a Palestinian state. Abbas, president of Fatah and the PLO, succeeded Arafat in 2005 and has remained in office ever since, although his term ended in 2009.

Today, the PA has limited control over the occupied Palestinian cities in the West Bank, and they strongly criticize its maintenance. A policy of “security coordination” with Israel – Includes sharing intelligence on activists and publicly stating that it is helping to thwart attacks on Israel. It has been too he cannot pay the full salary of his officials.

Ramallah-based Al-Haq rights group Shawan Jabarin believes the attack on Israeli prisoners is a violation of freedom of expression.

He noted that the obstacles to the event “lead to a level of discrimination”.

“If there is a general tendency to avoid such celebrations, it should work for everyone. It makes no sense to allow some to celebrate, to ban others based on their political identity, ”he told Al Jazeera.

“In all cases, this does not apply to the Palestinian national cause.”