Palestinian Authority losing control of West Bank, say insiders and activists

The arrests last weekend, say activists and the PA insider, are only the latest sign of the PA's weakened hand, which they say has left them wondering whether it is losing control of the West Bank. 

The demonstrators, including academics, filmmakers and poets, were protesting against the death of Banat, the activist and outspoken PA critic, who died in June after PA forces raided the home where he was staying and violently arrested him.

Hours later, when a vigil was held in protest against the arrests, PA forces arrested yet another protester, Khader Adnan, famous for his record hunger strikes during multiple periods in Israeli prisons under administration detention.

Fadi Quran, a human rights activist and international law expert, who was among those arrested, said he was interrogated about why he had distributed Palestinian flags and, during a court appearance, asked a judge to sentence him so he could be the first Palestinian charged with possessing the country's flag.

The absurdity of the moment, and the PA's increasing oppression in the face of criticism, have left many to question whether the lashing out is a last act of desperation.

"All the factors for the collapse of the PA are here," said Jamal Juma'a, director of the Ramallah-based Stop the Wall Campaign.

"Politically, they are expired. As a national project, they are expired. Add to that all the corruption and all the conditions for the collapse of the PA are present."

Said the PA insider: "I can't say that the PA will collapse soon. But for sure, the PA is in a big crisis and I'm not sure where it is going to lead." 

Out of hand in Jenin

To see what the PA losing control of the West Bank could look like, Jenin is a good place to start.

In the past two months, there have been several gun battles in the Jenin refugee camp between young armed residents and the Israeli security forces who regularly raid the camp. 

After two incidents in July and August in which Israeli security forces wounded Palestinians in Jenin, last week Israeli forces killed four Palestinians during a raid on the camp that turned into a gunfight.

In reaction, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the Israeli forces, and called on the UN and international organisations to provide protection for the Palestinian people.

But Shatha Hamaysha, a freelance journalist from Jenin who contributes to MEE, said that last week's gunfight was precipitated by the PA's misguided attempts to try and control the situation in Jenin.

The PA, she said, had proposed to mediate between the Israelis and the young armed fighters and arrested several residents who refused to go along with the plan just before the clash. Those who fought reject the PA's interference, including some young men who only recently joined the fighters because they are frustrated with the PA.

She said the PA was trying hard to solve the situation in Jenin "in its own way" while projecting the image that it is in control of the situation, but the reality inside the city is very different.

"The authority has lost its societal presence in Jenin and is trying in various ways to control security, impose order and restore calm," she said.

However, Hamaysha said, tensions were only being fuelled. This week, Israeli forces are carrying out military exercises at checkpoints surrounding Jenin "to deliver a veiled message to Jenin and the young men of Jenin, which are viewed locally as empty shows of power.

The PA insider said the inability of PA security forces to protect the residents from the Israelis or to control the armed groups inside the refugee camp was a clear signal. "The PA today is very weak. They can't enter a place like Jenin," he said.

Will what is happening in Jenin spread? That's the question many in the West Bank are asking.

MEE asked the PA whether it was mediating between the young armed men and the Israelis; whether it was arresting individuals wanted by the Israelis; if it had done these activities before the gunfight last week; and whether it had lost control of Jenin.

The PA had not responded by the time of publication.

Different faces, more protests

Another sign that the PA is spinning out of control is the individuals who are being arrested. These aren't Hamas supporters, who are the usual target of the PA, but secular activists, even some who have previously supported the PA.

Mazin Qumsiyeh, a biology professor at Bethlehem University and Birzeit University and a political activist, was among those who protested in Ramallah last weekend. Seventeen of his friends were picked up at the demonstration, he said.  

He said he believes the arrests reflect a PA that isn't sure what to do because its usual strategies are ineffective with a public that is no longer afraid.

"They thought the issue of Nizar Banat would end after one month, but it didn't. It's growing," he said. "People are not silent and they are taking action that is growing.