The Israeli-occupied West Bank is no stranger to political upheaval. But in the past week, Palestinian protesters have directed rising anger against their own government, the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the territory.
Hundreds took to the streets in several towns over the past weekend to protest the violent death in Palestinian custody of Nizar Banat, a well-known critic of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.
Last weekend in Ramallah, protesters waved Palestinian flags alongside pictures of Banat, with some calling for an end to the long-term rule of the Palestinian president. At one point, they were met with teargas fired by Palestinian security forces in full riot gear, while others were physically attacked by plainclothes officers.
