A rare operation by Palestinian Authority security forces to arrest a Hamas member sparked clashes in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, killing one.
A statement from security forces confirmed the death of bystander Firas Yaish and said they were “awaiting a medical report” on the circumstances surrounding his killing.
He was “killed in a place where no security personnel were present,” spokesman for the armed forces Talal Dweikat said in a statement.
The riots continued throughout the morning as hundreds of youths hurled stones at PA armored vehicles and the sound of gunfire was heard in the city center, AFP correspondents reported.
Ahmed, 26, a protester who refused to give his last name because of personal safety concerns, told AFP the protesters’ anger was fueled by “security coordination between the PA and the occupation (Israel)”.
“Go away, Abu Mazen,” he said, referring to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“You are not the Palestinians, you are just a man – and a man who wants to line his pocket with money,” he said.
Hamas, historical rivals to Abbas’s secular Fatah movement, which controls the PA, condemned the arrest of 30-year-old Musaab Shtayyeh, calling it a “kidnapping… a national crime” and a “blot” on the PA’s image.
She called for the immediate release of Shtayyeh and Ameed Tbaileh, who were arrested with him, and criticized the PA for maintaining security coordination with Israel.
“The agency has positioned itself towards our Palestinian people as the exclusive agent of the occupation (Israel),” the statement said.
While Abbas’ forces maintain security ties with Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, PA crackdowns on Hamas members are not common.
Fatah and Hamas have made various attempts at reconciliation in recent years, but relations remain strained. Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007, when it ousted PA forces from the coastal enclave in deadly street battles.
– ‘Keep order’ –
The northern West Bank has seen violence on an almost daily basis in recent months.
Israel has conducted dozens of night raids in the area, particularly in Jenin, in pursuit of wanted people.
Dozens of Palestinians, including militants, were killed in the crackdowns that began in March after a series of deadly attacks on Israeli targets.
Israel has put increasing pressure on the PA to crack down on suspected militants in the West Bank.
Last week, after two Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in clashes near Jenin, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he would “not hesitate to act anywhere the Palestinian Authority fails to establish order.”
Earlier this month, the head of the Israel Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, said the “helplessness of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces” provides fertile ground for the armed groups.
