The Palestinian Authority Governor of Nablus and commanders of the Palestinian security forces on Friday visited the home of Abdel Fattah Kharousheh, the Hamas terrorist responsible for the shooting attack in which brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv were killed.
Kharousheh, 49, a resident of Askar Refugee Camp near Nablus, was killed by the Israeli security forces during a raid last week on Jenin Refugee Camp, where he had been hiding since the attack in the town of Hawara south of Nablus. Kharousheh was released from Israeli prisons four months ago. He had previously also been arrested by the PA security forces as part of a crackdown on Hamas members in the West Bank.
A statement by the Nablus Governorate said Governor Ibrahim Ramadan, accompanied by commanders of the security forces and the secretary-general of the ruling Fatah faction visited the family to offer condolences over “the martyrdom of Abdel Fattah Kharousheh.”
Appointed by the PA president, the governors are responsible for the security forces and the supervision of all government agencies in their governorates.
Do PA officials frequently interact with Hamas militants?
The rare visit by senior PA officials to the home of a Hamas militant came in the aftermath of a clash between Palestinian security officers and mourners during the funeral of Kharousheh, which took place in Nablus. The visit is seen as an attempt to placate the Palestinian public after the incident during the funeral.
Palestinians said several PA security officers fired tear gas canisters towards a group of men who were carrying the body of Kharousheh outside a local hospital. As a result, the body, draped in a Hamas flag, fell to the ground, drawing strong condemnations from many Palestinians.انتلي نيوز:وصل اليوم وفد من السلطة الفلسطينية برئاسة محافظ نابلس إبراهيم رمضان، لتعزية عائلة الشهيد عبد خروشة الذي نفذ عملية إطلاق النار في حوارة، والتي قتل فيها الشقيقان يانيف.خروشة ينتمي إلى حركة حماس. pic.twitter.com/vGajjUwsf9
— Hadarat Media (@HadaratMedia) March 10, 2023
A PA security official said the officers fired the tear gas in an attempt to prevent a group of men from removing the body from an ambulance against the wishes of the family.
Since the incident, PA security forces have arrested at least 20 Palestinians who attended the funeral, sparking further outrage among the Palestinians, according to Palestinian sources.
The Palestinian group Lawyers for Justice, which monitors and documents human rights violations by the PA, denounced the Palestinian security forces’ assault on the funeral of Kharousheh, dubbing it a “dangerous behavior aimed at combating, criminalizing and demonizing the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.”
The Palestinian National Initiative, a political party led by Mustafa Barghouti, condemned the attack on the funeral, saying it “constitutes a serious violation of the national dignity of the Palestinian people.”
Hussein Abu Kweik, a senior Hamas official in the West Bank, also condemned the incident as a “dangerous assault on the dignity of the Palestinians.” Abu Kweik called on the PA to end its crackdown on political activists. He also called for an immediate cessation of security coordination between the PA security forces and the IDF.