Palestinian activist dies under arrest by PNA security forces

Palestinian activist Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the Palestinian authorities, died early this morning while under arrest by Palestinian National Authority forces in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. 

The Hebron delegation said in a statement that he had died. Banat was reportedly taken to hospital after allegedly being beaten. This was the reason for Banat's death at the medical centre in the early hours of Thursday morning. According to Palestinian activists, "he was severely beaten by 20 soldiers who came to his house to arrest him" and was transferred to hospital "before his health condition worsened".

Banat had formed the Freedom and Dignity list with the aim of running in the upcoming Legislative Council elections, which were scheduled for 22 May before the issuance of a presidential decree ordering the elections to be cancelled. Moreover, it had demanded that the European Union stop its financial support to the Palestinian Authority after learning of the legislative suspension decision. In fact, this past week, the EU has ordered 425 million euros in loans to Palestinian banks to help alleviate the socio-health crisis. 

Nizar Banat has been detained before and has been subject to threats and attacks for months. Last May, the authorities fired bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at his home. The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights has called for "an urgent and independent investigation into the murder of Nizar Banat, especially when all indications point to an assassination to silence the voice of one of the biggest opponents of PNA policies".

The family's spokesman, Ammar Banat, said the Palestinian dissident "was subjected to an arrest operation at half past three in the morning by a Preventive Security security force".

Meanwhile, the EU office in Palestine announced its "sadness" over Banat's death and demanded "a full, independent and transparent investigation immediately".

Following the attacks on his home, the activist accused the Fatah party, of which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is the guarantor, of being responsible for the attacks. According to Banat, they are the only ones with access to tear gas and stun grenades. 

He also accused several Fatah supporters of waging a campaign of incitement against him after accusing the activist of collaborating with Israel. In addition, earlier this week, Palestinian forces arrested activist Issa Amor for being highly critical of the PNA, as well as taking a stance against Israel, an act that sparked a wave of outrage on social media. 

In this line, different human rights organisations have called for protests in Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine, to denounce Banat's death and abuses of power.

On the other hand, the Islamic Jihad Movement said in a statement that Banat was subjected to "a crime that reveals the extent of the violation of freedoms and the repression and prosecution of all opponents of the authority's policies and approaches".

Banat had been highly critical of the Palestinian National Authority, the PNA, the delegation that currently governs different parts of the West Bank. In his activism, he denounced the Authority's absolutism as well as "systematic violations of human rights".

Polls conducted a fortnight ago showed growing support in Palestinian society for Hamas, with over 53 per cent backing Hamas over Fatah. These voting intentions suggest that, had the elections been held, it is likely that Abbas would have suffered a heavy defeat at the polls. 
 

The Palestinian president decided to postpone the elections after Israel raised obstacles after preventing people in East Jerusalem from going to the polls. However, Abbas's opponents relate this delay as an "excuse" to avoid defeat by Hamas. Palestine has not held a legislative election for 15 years and this figure looks set to lengthen in the wake of the leadership crisis Abbas has left among Palestinians.

On the one hand, the fact that a large part of Palestinian society is in favour of Hamas is a source of tension for Israel and Western countries that consider the group to be a terrorist organisation, which is why they would embrace the decision to extend the elections. On the other hand, Israel continues to refuse to allow Palestinians living in East Jerusalem to go to the polls, which is why Abbas could use this argument to perpetuate his hold on power.