Thousands of people demonstrated against the Palestinian Authority (PA) of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Saturday, following the death of a prominent critic of the authority.
"Go Abbas!" posters at the demonstration in Ramallah read. Witnesses reported that critic Nisar Banat's family also took part in the rally.
Meanwhile, thousands of people also took part in a pro-Abbas rally in Hebron.
Banat died over a week ago near Hebron in the course of a police arrest. The exact reasons for the death have not yet been clarified.
According to the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, an autopsy revealed that he had suffered massive blows, including to the head and neck. Relatives accuse the police of severely mistreating the man during his arrest.
Security forces said they had a warrant for Banat's arrest for allegedly violating a Palestinian law against cybercrimes. Among other things, this restricts freedom of expression on social media.
A week ago, thousands of people took part in the critic's funeral, followed by days of protests calling for an end to Abbas' rule.
According to Palestinian sources, the protests were mainly attended by members of the Islamist Hisb al-Tahrir (Liberation Party).
