PA, Israel Carry Out Mass Arrests Against Hamas Members
These latest roundups are a sign that the PA and Israel still fear Hamas’ growing presence in the West Bank, analyst says
Palestinian Authority security forces have launched a massive crackdown against Hamas members, sympathizers and university students affiliated with Hamas in the West Bank, arresting nearly 300 members of the Islamic movement that governs the Gaza Strip in the week leading up to the 35th anniversary of its founding.
At least nine students from Birzeit University near Ramallah have been detained by PA security forces.
This heightened tension between the Palestinians’ two biggest and most influential factions, Hamas and the Fatah movement led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, comes at the same time as Israeli forces have carried out several raids throughout the West Bank, arresting more than 20 Palestinians, most of whom are Hamas activists.
There’s a fear that the situation on the ground is getting out of control
The detainees were forced to sign pledges not to participate in any marches or activities to commemorate the anniversary.
A source told The Media Line that the massive arrest campaign by the PA against rival faction members and sympathizers is “unprecedented.”
The source also accuses the security officers of using excessive force when conducting the arrests, noting: “They’ve used electric shocks, stun grenades, batons and gas canisters during house raids.”
This year already has been the deadliest in the West Bank since 2015, with more than 160 killed by Israeli forces.
“There’s a fear that the situation on the ground is getting out of control,” Ramallah-based political analyst Esmat Mansour told The Media Line.
Political analyst Talal Okal of the Institute for Palestine Studies told The Media Line that “Hamas is the most effective movement and the practical candidate to weaken the PA and challenge the Israeli occupation in the West Bank.”
“Israel practices a consistent policy against all resistance factions in general, but the focus is on the most present and effective movements that have potential,” according to Okal.
Palestinian sources said the PA intends to prevent any commemorations in West Bank universities, a decision which comes as security forces attempt to reassert their control following repeated Israeli raids in the territories.
Hamas was founded on December 14, 1987.
Analysts say these latest roundups are a sign that the PA and Israel still fear Hamas’ growing presence in the West Bank.
Mansour told The Media Line that there are “internal and external reasons behind the mass arrests.”
“A distinction must be made between the PA and Israel, even if the behavior is the same, which is arresting Palestinians,” he said.
Mansour explains that Israel believes Abbas and his security are weak, and that carrying out these arrests helps to stabilize his rule.
“Israel feels that the security situation is very fragile, and the state of tension is severe, and therefore any activity and large gathering for any occasion can detonate the situation,” he said.
There is a general feeling among Palestinians that Abbas is weak, and his security forces are seen as incapable of protecting themselves.
“The Authority is in a state of conflict and competition with Hamas, and therefore fears the activity of Hamas and the growth of its influence in the West Bank; any activities may affect the stability of the PA and shakes the confidence of the street toward it,” Okal said.
The PA controls urban centers in the West Bank, while Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.
Hamas-run security forces in Gaza have in the past arrested Fatah members and blocked its rival faction’s loyalists from holding events related to the group.
However, this year Hamas allowed the holding an event marking the 18th anniversary of the death of the late PA President Yasser Arafat, attended by thousands of Fatah movement cadres in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas forcibly took over the impoverished coastal enclave in 2007.
The latest round of arrests come as efforts by Algeria to bring about a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah appear to be at a standstill.
Okal says the arrests could “derail” reconciliation talks.
“It will have a negative effect on reconciliation,” he said, adding that “it is an indication of the lack of trust between the two parties.”
A Hamas official who did not want to be identified in order to not jeopardize reconciliation efforts told The Media Line that if the “aggressive steps by the PA continue, it will bring the talks to a halt.”
The Authority is in a state of conflict and competition with Hamas, and therefore fears the activity of Hamas and the growth of its influence in the West Bank
The Palestinian group Lawyers for Justice said in a statement on Monday that it is following up on cases of summons and arrests by the Palestinian Authority security forces against activists and university students.
“Unfortunately, this year reached a record number in cases of arrest and political summons, with more than 500 cases, and torture and ill-treatment to which detainees were subjected,” according to the statement.
Mansour says the PA is trying to prove to the Americans and to the international community that it is still “relevant and present on the ground and capable of exercising its security role,” adding that Abbas wants to rally the troops behind him as the Fatah group that he leads is internally fragmented.
“He wants them to believe that there is an existential threat to them, and that there is an opponent lurking on the side to take over,” according to Mansour.
In its latest poll, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) found that if presidential elections were held now, incumbent Abbas would receive 38%, while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would receive 53%.
The same poll found that public satisfaction with Abbas stands at 26% and dissatisfaction at 71%, while 74% of those polled demanded Abbas’ resignation.
The same survey found that 27% believe that Hamas is most deserving to lead the Palestinian people while 26% think Fatah under Abbas is the most deserving.
The Islamist movement won the most seats in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections, results that were strongly opposed by the West.
Hamas has announced it will organize an anniversary celebration in Gaza City on Wednesday, under the slogan: “Towards Jerusalem, we are coming with a roaring flood.”
