In the West Bank, the popular movement suffocates under police repression
Audio 01:22
Palestinian riot police and plainclothes security officers clash with protesters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 26, 2021. AP - Nasser Nasser
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
In the West Bank, Palestinian youth are rising up against their own leaders, considered "
corrupt and in the service of the Israeli occupation forces
".
Several protests have taken place in recent days.
They have been repressed each time by the Palestinian Authority.
Reportage.
Publicity
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With our special correspondent in Ramallah,
Sami Boukhelifa
After four consecutive days of demonstrations, the violent repression led by the Palestinian Authority has achieved its objective: the popular protest movement seems to have run out of steam.
This Monday in Ramallah, the call for a general strike was not followed, and no one dares to gather in the street.
Manal Shqair, a Palestinian human rights activist, testifies quietly in a downtown cafe.
“
Our movement was peaceful,
” she says.
Members of the Palestinian security forces, in civilian clothes, armed with clubs, initially used pepper spray.
And then they beat us up, targeting women in particular.
Some girls have been sexually touched.
No one was able to film these abuses.
They seized the cell phones.
"
For this activist, the Palestinians may cry out their anger in the street, only strong international pressure will bend their leaders.
“
Since its inception, the Palestinian Authority has been funded in part by Europe.
But our corrupt leaders are only acting in their own interests.
So my message today is addressed to the European Union, to France: ensure that your financial aid does not serve to repress the Palestinians and, on the contrary, that it serves them to fight against the occupation.
"
For Manal Shqair as for many young Palestinians: “
Israeli occupation, Palestinian Authority are two sides of the same coin.
"
The West Bank is rocked by protests in Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah to protest the death of famous Palestinian human rights activist
Nizar Banat
while in Palestinian Authority detention.
Last Thursday, he was beaten to death by members of the Palestinian security forces.
►
To read also: Death of Nizar Banat in the West Bank: the wave of indignation continues, the violence too
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