Abbas sacks senior official who slammed PA for death of critic

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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sacked the director of the Ramallah National Library after criticizing the government for the death of an activist held by Palestinian security forces.

In a letter obtained Tuesday by The Times of Israel and The Associated Press on Tuesday, Ehab Bessaiso was removed from his post, as well as from the library board.

The letter, dated June 27 and signed by Abbas, did not explain the reason for the dismissal. But it came three days after Bessaiso wrote a lengthy Facebook post criticizing the death of Nizar Banat, a vocal critic of the Palestinian Authority.

There is no justification for committing a crime, wrote Bessaiso, a former cabinet minister and government spokesperson. Killing a human being is a crime, no matter how blurry, ambiguous, and emotional the image appears.

The difference of opinion is not an epidemic, or an emergency, or a justification for the bloodshed, he added.

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Banat died in custody shortly after his arrest by Palestinian security forces. His family said he was beaten while being taken away from his home. He accused the Palestinian Authority of trying to cover up the death.

Banat’s death sparked weeks of protests. Palestinian officials said the case was under investigation.

Maryam Banat, 67, mother of Palestinian Authority critic Nizar Banat holds a poster with her photo as she attends a rally to protest her death in Ramallah, West Bank, July 3, 2021 (AP Photo / Nasser Nasser)

The PA is widely seen as corrupt and authoritarian, with a recent poll showing support for Abbas, who took power for what was supposed to be a four-year term in 2005, has crumbled.

Abbas faced mounting pressure after he called off the parliamentary elections when it emerged his Fatah party would suffer a crushing defeat to rival militant group Hamas.

Aaron Boxerman contributed to this report.

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