HRW: Palestinians are torturing detained critics

Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza arbitrarily arrest and systematically torture critics and opponents, a Human Rights Watch report said.

The international rights group on Thursday called on donors to cut funding to Palestinian security forces and for the International Criminal Court to investigate people involved in abuses, which it said may amount to crimes against humanity.

The report came a year after Nizar Banat, a prominent critic of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was beaten to death in custody. His death sparked days of protests in the West Bank that were violently suppressed by Palestinian security forces.

The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank, while Hamas rules Gaza.

“More than a year after beating to death Nizar Banat, the Palestinian Authority continues to arrest and torture critics and opponents,” HRW Israel and

Palestine director Omar Shakir said.

“Systematic abuse by the PA and Hamas forms a critical part of the repression of the Palestinian people,” he said.

The ongoing trial of 14 security officers charged with Banat’s killing began in late 2021; they have all pleaded not guilty.

Last week, Amnesty International called the trial “flawed” saying that those who gave the orders to arrest Banat must also be held accountable.

Officials of the PA and Hamas have denied the allegations of systematic abuse.

“We can arrange for human rights organizations to visit any facility that allegedly practices torture and to speak with detainees there,” PA security services spokesman Talal Dweikat told Reuters. “For us, the dignity of the Palestinian citizen is above all.”

The report, authored with the Palestinian rights group Lawyers for Justice, was submitted to the United Nations Committee Against Torture. (Reuters)