Palestinian governor sparks fury with comments calling mothers of resistance fighters 'deviant'

Comments by the Palestinian Authority’s Governor of Nablus describing mothers of dead Palestinian fighters as "deviant" have sparked fury in the West Bank, with a Palestinian resistance group calling for his resignation.

Nablus Governor Major-General Ibrahim Ramadan blamed the mothers of Palestinians killed by Israel for their children's death, in comments to the local Najah radio station.

"A mother is someone who shows affection and tenderness, but there are some deviant mothers who send their sons to commit suicide and then show themselves to be 'resistance'. This is not a mother," Ramadan said.

A recently formed group of Palestinian resistance fighters in Nablus, known as Areen al-Usud (The Lions’ Den) called for Ramadan to resign.

Nablus and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank have recently come under near-daily attacks by Israeli forces, with scores of people killed and injured over the past few months.

"Resign now and save face… we have all heard the insults to the mothers of Palestine’s martyrs, which were said by the Governor of Nablus Governorate," a statement from the group said.

Ramadan however, called on Palestinians engaged in armed resistance against Israel to surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority.

"There should be no weapons apart from Palestinian Authority weapons," he said, explaining that he had met with Palestinian resistance fighters many times offering them protection if they surrendered their weapons.

"I fear for the lives of these resistance fighters. They don't know the true value of their lives," Ramadan added.

On Wednesday night and Thursday morning, however, Israel showed no sign that it was stopping its raids of Palestinian cities and detention of Palestinians.

Five Palestinians were arrested in occupied East Jerusalem and two more in the town of Se’ir near Hebron in the southern West Bank.

Palestinian resistance fighters also claimed to have injured two Israeli troops in clashes in the West Bank.