Palestinian officials in Ramallah on Saturday accused Hamas and deposed Fatah operative Mohammed Dahlan of exploiting the death of political activist Nizar Banat to incite protests against the Palestinian Authority.
The allegation came as Palestinians continued for the third straight day to protest the death of Banat, 44, who was allegedly beaten to death by PA security officers who raided his home to arrest him last Thursday.
Leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions have called on Palestinians in the West Bank to take to the streets to protest against the death of the activist. Denouncing the PA security forces as “guards of [Israeli] settlements,” the faction leaders also called for an end to security coordination between the Palestinian security forces and the IDF.
“This dangerous development will not go unnoticed,” senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said, adding that his group welcomes all those who took to the streets to demonstrate against the PA and its security forces.
“Several parties, especially Hamas and Mohammed Dahlan, are taking advantage of the incident to incite against the PA leadership,” a senior official told The Jerusalem Post. “We will now allow anyone to spread anarchy and lawlessness in the West Bank to serve the agendas of outside parties.”
Another Palestinian official told the Post that many of the those who were protesting and inciting on the streets of Palestinians cities are “affiliated with Hamas, Dahlan, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”
Banat’s family said they intend to file a case with international courts against the PA and its security forces for his “murder and torture.” The family called on human rights organizations to help them submit the case to the international courts.
The family also demanded the dismissal of Hebron PA Governor Jibreen al-Bakri and PA’s Hebron deputy head of Preventive Security Service Maher Abu Halawah for their alleged involvement in the death of their son.
The family warned that failure to comply with their demands will be “translated on the ground with blood and fire.”
Banat, an outspoken critic of the PA, was brought to burial in Hebron on Friday in a funeral attended by thousands of Palestinians, including masked gunmen who vowed to avenge his “assassination.”
“Oh Nizar, you wounded soul, your blood will not be in vain,” the mourners chanted. “Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), you traitor, you sold your people for money. We will stomp on your head.”
Echoing the slogan that first emerged during the Tunisian uprising, which triggered the Arab Spring 10 years ago, the mourners also chanted: “The people want to bring down the regime.”
PA security forces arrested more than 15 Palestinians who participated in the protests in Ramallah and other West Bank cities and chanted slogans calling for the removal of Abbas from power.
The protesters also chanted slogans accusing the PA of silencing its critics and political opponents through repressive measures.
At least eight of the detainees remain in prison, while the others have been released on bail, Palestinian sources said.
Six other Palestinians complained that they had been physically assaulted by PA security officers during protests in Ramallah. They are: Mahmoud Tartir, Najla Zeitoun, Maher al-Akhras, Samer Mansour, Haitham Siyaj and Ghassan al-Sa’di.
Referring to the anti-Abbas protests, Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the PA’s General Authority of Civil Affairs and member of the Fatah Central Committee, commented: “Law, order and transparency are obligatory, and they guarantee the protection of all Palestinians. And they preserve the political, social and national fabric. Nobody is above the law.”
The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) said on Friday that autopsy observations confirmed the presence of injuries represented in the form of bruises and abrasions in many areas of Banat’s body, including the head, neck, shoulders, chest, back, upper and lower limbs, with cuffing marks on the wrists and rib fractures.
“The preliminary autopsy results also indicate, according to the commission’s doctor and the family doctor, that death is abnormal,” ICHR said in a statement. “We believe that what the activist Banat was exposed to is a serious incident against a political opponent that requires a criminal investigation and bringing all those responsible and involved to the competent judicial authorities to take legal measures against them.”
ICHR also urged the PA to “stop prosecuting any citizen based on opinion and expression” and to immediately release all detainees in connection with political activity, opinion and expression, or participation in the elections that have been postponed.”
Banat was a former candidate of the Freedom and Dignity electoral list for the parliamentary election that was supposed to take place on May 22. He was well known for posting videos on Facebook in which he strongly condemned corruption in the PA.
In the past few weeks, the PA security forces have arrested or summoned for interrogation dozens of Palestinians affiliated with Dahlan’s electoral list, Al-Mustaqbal (Future).
Hours after the death of Banat, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced the formation of a committee to investigate the incident. The committee, headed by the justice minister, began its work on Saturday.
Banat’s brother, Ghassan, said on Saturday that his family has no confidence in the PA government and its committee. He said that no one from the PA has contacted the family until now. “We demand the departure of President Abbas and the prime minister,” Ghassan Banat said.