Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Palestinians protest in Ramallah over Gaza sanctions

-

Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated Saturday in the occupied West Bank to demand the Palestinian Authority lift punitive measures against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, an AFP reporter said.

Demonstrators in Ramallah chanted "scrap the sanctions!" during protests against the Palestinian Authority, organised by civil society groups.

The Ramallah-based administration has introduced a series of measures against Gaza over the past year.

Tens of thousands of its civil servants in the coastal enclave, separated from the West Bank by a strip of Israeli territory, have gone without full pay for months.

Critics say such moves by the PA, dominated by the Fatah movement of president Mahmud Abbas, further exacerbate the split between the two parts of the Palestinian territories.

The rally passed peacefully, unlike a protest on June 13 during which Palestinian security forces fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

On Saturday, policemen were seen handing out Palestinian flags to the protesters.

Islamist movement Hamas has run Gaza since seizing it from the Palestinian Authority amid deadly clashes in 2007.

Since that year, Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza which it argues is necessary to isolate Hamas.

Rights groups say the siege amounts to collective punishment.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the territory since 2008.

Neighbouring Egypt has also largely sealed its land border with Gaza in recent years, citing security threats.

The United Nations has said Gaza, which is home to two million people, will be uninhabitable by 2020.

Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement last October, but it has since collapsed.

Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated Saturday in the occupied West Bank to demand the Palestinian Authority lift punitive measures against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, an AFP reporter said.

Demonstrators in Ramallah chanted “scrap the sanctions!” during protests against the Palestinian Authority, organised by civil society groups.

The Ramallah-based administration has introduced a series of measures against Gaza over the past year.

Tens of thousands of its civil servants in the coastal enclave, separated from the West Bank by a strip of Israeli territory, have gone without full pay for months.

Critics say such moves by the PA, dominated by the Fatah movement of president Mahmud Abbas, further exacerbate the split between the two parts of the Palestinian territories.

The rally passed peacefully, unlike a protest on June 13 during which Palestinian security forces fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

On Saturday, policemen were seen handing out Palestinian flags to the protesters.

Islamist movement Hamas has run Gaza since seizing it from the Palestinian Authority amid deadly clashes in 2007.

Since that year, Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza which it argues is necessary to isolate Hamas.

Rights groups say the siege amounts to collective punishment.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the territory since 2008.

Neighbouring Egypt has also largely sealed its land border with Gaza in recent years, citing security threats.

The United Nations has said Gaza, which is home to two million people, will be uninhabitable by 2020.

Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement last October, but it has since collapsed.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Tech & Science

The groundbreaking initiative aims to provide job training and confidence to people with autism.

Entertainment

Steve Carell stars in the title role of "Uncle Vanya" in a new Broadway play ay Lincoln Center.

Entertainment

Actors Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada star in the new musical "The Great Gatsby" on Broadway.

World

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) is paying his second visit to China in less than a year - Copyright POOL/AFP Mark SchiefelbeinShaun...