Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Ramallah and Bethlehem to protest the death of Nizar Banat, a prominent critic of the Palestinian Authority (P.A.). The unprecedented demonstrations pose a serious threat to the rule of P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas.
Banat’s family says on June 24th, P.A. security forces burst into his home and beat him with iron rods. He later died in P.A. custody and his body was returned to his family.
The day after the killing, thousands gathered to mourn Banat in his hometown of Hebron.
Then in Ramallah, demonstrators called on Abbas to step down and chanted “The people want to overthrow the regime.” The crowds blamed Abbas for the murder of Banat who had been a harsh critic of Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. He posted videos on Facebook that accused the P.A. of betraying the Palestinian cause through its close cooperation with Israel and corruption.
Banat also criticized Abbas for cancelling Palestinian elections that were scheduled for May. They would have been the first elections in 15 years and Banat was slated to be a candidate.
Thousands gathered in Ramallah to march on Abbas’s headquarters but security police and plain clothes policemen beat the protestors.
On Sunday, the demonstrations spread to Bethlehem where protestors threw firebombs at police and destroyed P.A. vehicles.
Palestinian journalist Nadira Harbash told a Media Central briefing that, “Everybody knows Nizar Banat” and “It’s one of the most public stories ever.” She expressed the frustration of many Palestinians when she said, “They (the P.A.) didn’t care and they killed him and that’s why it’s so dangerous … because they think they can get away with it.”
The European Union also called for an independent investigation to the murder and former Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad said, “Nizar Banat was a martyr without his opinion and the right of people to exercise this right” and “Stop disregarding people’s lives and underestimating their minds.” Fayyad said “a change of approach” is what is required or another tragedy will be repeated.
Some analysts believe the protests represent a serious threat to the rule of Abbas and many are watching to see if these protests increase and spread to other cities in the West Bank.
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