Disturbing videos have emerged showing Palestinian officers abusing critics of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) ongoing crackdown on anti-Israel resistance in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
One video shows a handcuffed and blindfolded young man being thrown into a garbage container, while security personnel assault and curse him.
Another clip depicts a detainee being slapped and beaten in the face while his head is covered with a plastic bag.
In a further disturbing video, two detainees, bound and blindfolded, are forced to face a wall with one leg raised. They are made to chant, God, President Abu Mazen,” in a scene reminiscent of tactics used by the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Committee of Political Prisoners’ Families in the West Bank condemned the arrest campaign, which it said targeted individuals who expressed opposition to the security campaign on social media.
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The committee further revealed that detainees are being tortured both physically and psychologically to force them to record and publish apology videos.
‘They suppress people’s voices, making it forbidden to express any opinion about them’
– Muhammad Ayesh, political activist
Palestinian security services spokesman Anwar Rajab responded to the videos, stating that the security forces are investigating the incidents and following proper procedures regarding their personnel’s behaviour.
PA forces have been besieging parts of Jenin and conducting large-scale raids against civilians since 5 December.
The PA says the campaign, which targets armed anti-occupation groups, is part of an effort to restore law and order against “outlaws”.
Armed anti-occupation groups in Jenin have rejected the labels used against them by the PA, saying their resistance against Israeli troops is legitimate.
At least seven people have been killed since the PA operation was launched, including unarmed civilians, resistance fighters and members of the security forces.
No red lines
The PA’s campaign has sparked widespread unrest.
Political analyst Azzam Abu al-Adas, who publicly called for an end to the PA campaign to avoid civil strife, was summoned by the Preventive Security Service earlier this week.
His wife, Omaima Sawalha, told Middle East Eye that he had not returned home since he was summoned to “drink a cup of coffee and talk” with the security service.
His arrest has left their young son, a six-year-old with autism, distressed, she added.
There have also been reports of security forces storming homes and shooting at shops in Qalqilya and Jenin, with owners accusing the PA of retaliation for their opposition to the campaign.
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Political activist Muhammad Ayesh described how security forces raided his home in Artas, Bethlehem, without a warrant and insulted his family.
He believes the raid was in response to his criticism of the Jenin operation, through which, he said, the PA has “removed the last political and moral red lines”.
“They suppress people’s voices, making it forbidden to express any opinion about them, and they target everyone,” he said.
The Ramallah-based Independent Commission For Human Rights said it was following the clips with great concern and called for a thorough investigation into the PA’s security services.
The reported abuses represent a clear violation of the law and human rights if they were true, the commission added.
It also denounced hate speech and incitement on social media but emphasised that such issues must be addressed through legal means.
Finally, it reiterated its call for a national dialogue to define a clear approach to the Palestinian struggle at this critical juncture.
