PA says 14 officers will be charged with beating Abbas critic Nizar Banat to death

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Fourteen members of the Palestinian Authority security forces will be charged with allegedly beating opposition figure Nizar Banat to death in late June, a spokesperson for the forces said on Sunday.

“The investigations are completed and the military prosecutors (…) have decided to indict all the officers and forces who participated in the arrest of Nizar Banat”, declared the spokesperson for the security services of the Palestinian Authority, Talal Dweikat, on official Palestinian Authority television.

The 14 alleged perpetrators will be charged with beating Banat to death under Palestinian Authority military law, Dweikat said.

Banat, a social media activist well known for his caustic videos condemning the PA leadership, died after being arrested by PA officers in late June. His death sparked rare major protests in the West Bank calling for the fall of the Palestinian Authority government.

In the aftermath of Banat’s death, the Palestinian Authority arrested 14 officers suspected of participating in his beating. All were from Hebron’s division of the powerful Preventive Security Apparatus, Dweikat said on Monday.

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But Banat’s family has already pledged not to accept the results of the Palestinian Authority’s investigation into his death. The family officially withdrew their support for a previous commission of inquiry that led to the arrest of the 14 suspects in July.

Nizar Banat, an outspoken Palestinian Authority, speaks to reporters at the family home in Hebron, West Bank, May 4, 2021. (AP / Nasser Nasser)

No senior officer or politician has been charged with Banat’s death. Some Palestinian media have identified Hebron’s deputy head of preventive security, Maher Abu Halawa, as ultimately responsible for ordering Banat’s death.

“Surveys have shown that [Abu Halawa] had nothing to do with this incident, ”argued Dweikat.

Originally from Dura, near Hebron, Banat has over the years developed a loyal following on his Facebook page. He posted simple videos, often just himself sitting in front of a white wall, exposing the Palestinian Authority’s alleged corruption, as well as against Israeli policies.

But his concerns have resonated with ordinary Palestinians, many of whom view the PA as increasingly authoritarian, corrupt and ineffective in fulfilling their dream of an independent state.

In late April, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called off elections scheduled just a month ahead of schedule, saying Israel refused to allow voting in East Jerusalem. Critics, including Banat, have accused Abbas of using this as an excuse while actually fearing a loss to his rivals both Fatah and the terrorist group Hamas.

After the cancellation, the Banat called for an immediate end to EU aid to Abbas. A few days later, unknown assailants show up at his home in Dura, causing him to flee to a hideout in an Israeli-controlled area of ​​Hebron.

But at the end of June, a gang of Palestinian Authority security agents broke into the house and arrested him. A few hours later, Banat’s family were informed that he had passed away. Two members of his family, who were present when he was arrested, claimed that PA agents brutally beat him to death.

Banat’s death sparked widespread outrage. Thousands of people took to the streets of Hebron and Ramallah in rare protests calling for the downfall of Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. In Ramallah, PA forces cracked down on rallies, beating and arresting some of those demonstrating against the government.

The protests have largely failed in recent months – although a few weeks ago there were new rallies in Ramallah. The Palestinian Authority responded by arresting and charging protesters, drawing international condemnation.

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