Hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators called for an end to the 16-year rule of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
“Abbas, disband the PA, and get out of our way!” The demonstrators called as they wound their way through the city of Ramallah.
As the protests intensified, hundreds of demonstrators chanted “the people want the fall of the regime” and “quit,” allied to the Arab revolutions of 2011.
“We are caught between the Palestinian Authority and the [Israeli] Army,” the protesters said.
The rally was part of a series of protests ignited last month by the death of Banat, a key PA rival, while in the custody of Palestinian security forces. The demonstrations had come to a halt early last week following a harsh crackdown by PA security forces.
The United Nations and Palestinian rights groups have alleged that Palestinian Authority forces attacked protesters at previous rallies. Saturday’s protest, however, spread peacefully, with no reports of violence.
While protests were sparked by Banat’s death, frustration with the PA had been growing for months. In April, Abbas canceled the first planned Palestinian national vote in more than 15 years. Then, during the 11-day conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group in May, the PA largely avoided involvement, a position many Palestinians regarded as a weakness.
The PA is widely seen as autocratic and corrupt by Palestinians, including Abbas. Surveys regularly find that the majority of Palestinians demand Abbas’ resignation.
Nizar Banat’s mother takes a photo of her son during a march calling for the resignation of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, July 3, 2021 (Aaron Boxerman / The Times of Israel)
During Saturday’s protest, protesters laid siege to the small town of Ramallah before heading in the direction of Abbas’s presidential offices. Lines of armored riot police stood behind a barricade, blocking them from moving forward.
The protesters sat on the street singing and calling for Abbas’s resignation, before dispersing peacefully.
Banat’s mother joined the protest by hoisting a picture of her dead son while marching through the streets of Ramallah. When she arrived, the protesters, along with other family members, burst into applause.
“Nizar’s blood is not ready for talks,” he told reporters.
Mohammed, 37, who works in Ramallah, said that “I am glad to hear the protesters’ calls for the PA’s downfall, there is no other way to say it.”
“I’m a Fatah member, and I voted for Abbas in 2006, but at this point Abbas should either hold the election or settle down,” Mohamed said on the sidelines of the protest. He said his last name should be withheld due to concern over PA police retaliation.
Asked why the protest was relatively small, Mohamed cited fears after the crackdown by security forces last week: “People are too afraid to come out on the street.”
Palestinian Authority security forces prevent protesters from entering the offices of PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, July 3, 2021 (Aaron Boxerman / The Times of Israel)
Banat, a social media activist from Hebron known for his scathing videos criticizing the Palestinian leadership, died in late June after PA officers raided his home. According to his family, the security forces thrashed him mercilessly and dragged him away. Two hours later he got the information that he had died.
In response, scattered demonstrations in Hebron and Ramallah demanded an end to Abbas’s rule. In Ramallah, security forces dispersed the initial rallies with tear gas shells. Palestinian rights groups said that during a rally last Sunday, officers in civilian clothing beat up protesters and targeted journalists.
The United Nations condemned the action and urged the PA to allow peaceful protesters to demonstrate freely.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday: “Over the past weekend, we saw Palestinian security forces use force against initially completely peaceful protesters, including beating them with batons and using tear gas shells and stuns.” was.”
The investigation into Banat’s death, led by the PA Justice Ministry and its military intelligence, concluded on Wednesday night. A spokesman for the PA Security Services said its findings had not yet been made public, although 14 individuals were referred to the Justice Ministry last week.
The Banat family has already said that it will not accept the results of the PA’s official investigation, calling it illegitimate and skewed. A representative of the family and a major Palestinian human rights group both withdrew from the process.
There was a strong reaction from the international community to Banat’s death. UN Middle East envoy Tor Venesland said “criminals must be brought to justice,” while the United States said it was “deeply disturbed” by his death.
“Violence in all its forms against peaceful political opponents, activists, journalists and human rights defenders is unacceptable,” EU envoy Sven Kuhn von Bergsdorf said in a statement after the Banat family’s visit to offer his condolences.
Banat, a vocal Nizar of the Palestinian Authority, speaks to reporters at the family home in the West Bank city of Hebron, May 4, 2021. (AP/Nasser Nasser)
Officials in Ramallah have launched a scathing attack on international condemnation.
“The Palestinian people need protection from occupation, not anyone’s protection,” tweeted Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian Authority official, a close adviser to Abbas, referring to Israel.
Fatah, the ruling party led by Abbas, held a retaliatory rally in Hebron expressing support for the president. Thousands gathered in the West Bank metropolis, waving the movement’s distinctive yellow flag.
Thousands of Fatah activists gather at a rally in support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, July 3, 2021 (WAFA).
Official PA television covered the Hebron rally and ignored the gathering in the city of Ramallah.
“Fatah is speaking out in Hebron in defense of our national project, the unity of our people and its national strength,” Al-Sheikh said.