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It’s been a tough few weeks for the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. A court in Ramallah, West Bank recently acquitted 11 Palestinians charged with causing dissent against the government in protest last year. The charges ranged from ‘insulting high dignities’ to ‘inciting sectarian discord’.
Before this, for week, he has been under pressure after meeting Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz. As protests have increase against the meeting and alleged concessions to Israel, Abbas has been facing flak and he is also taking steps that his opponents accuse are increasingly brutal.
According to activists, the Authority’s violations against activists and political opponents have been on the rise including arrests, summons and trials. (https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/wave-political-detentions-pursuit-activists-west-bank#ixzz7J0FqcL83)
The anti-PA protests have been on the rise ever since the death of activist and critic Nizar Banat in a police custody in June last year. The protests grew after the autopsy report revealed that Banat had been beaten on the head, chest, neck, legs and hands. [https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210627-protesters-in-the-west-bank-decry-palestinian-authority-critic-s-violent-arrest-death]
Analysts say that there has been continuous drop in the legitimacy and effectiveness of Palestinians. This has only increased after the PA postponed the elections. Many Palestinians feel that the PA is scared of losing elections. The fear is that if the elections are held in a free and fair manner, Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, could win the elections. The worsening economic crisis is not helping the matters either. (https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220125-west-bank-security-nearing-boiling-point/)
Abbas is also facing pressure from Israel. For instance, Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) said in a report that the security situation in the occupied West Bank is "nearing boiling point" due to the "weakness of the Palestinian Authority.” The report credits this because of “united opposition" of various factions.
Analysts say that Abbas could be taking stern steps to show that he is still in power. Abbas may be unpopular in Palestine, but he has the backing of Western governments and Israel which fear a Hamas takeover of the West Bank. That could be playing to Abbas’s advantage.
Read more:
Wave of political detentions, pursuit of activists in West Bank:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/wave-political-detentions-pursuit-activists-west-bank
Palestinian Authority steps up crackdown on activists, rivals in West Bank:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/palestinian-authority-steps-up-crackdown-on-activists-rivals-in-west-bank-681877