Tense calm holds in Nablus after 24 hours of clashes between protesters and PA security

Clashes between Palestinian security forces and protesters in the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus ended late on Tuesday, after 24 hours of violent confrontations.
 
Protests had broken out late on Monday, following the arrest by Palestinian security forces of a Palestinian militant, 30-year-old Musaab Shtayyeh, wanted by Israeli forces who accuse him of being a local commander for Hamas's armed wing, and another man who accompanied him, Amid Tbeileh.
 
Protests soon turned into armed clashes, claiming the life of a 53-year-old bystander, Firas Yaish. The news of Yaish's death raised anger even further, giving momentum to the confrontations into late night, with barricades being raised in several streets inside the city.

It’s a war zone in downtown Nablus. Palestinian Authority forces and resistance fighters confrontations in protest of the PA collaboration with Israel and detaining two resistance fighters on Monday. pic.twitter.com/I9cxGgpLYv

— Mariam Barghouti مريم البرغوثي (@MariamBarghouti) September 20, 2022

 The unrest stopped after an agreement was reached at around 1:00 am on Wednesday, between the Palestinian security forces and representatives of Nablus's community organisations and political factions.
 
The agreement, warranted by the governor of Nablus and the inter-factional coordination committee, a body that gathers all Palestinian factions, included the commitment by Palestinian security to suspend arrests of militants wanted by Israel.
 
According to the agreement, Firas Yaish was recognised as a "martyr" with all the honours. Yaish was buried on Tuesday evening, wrapped with the Palestinian flag in a mass funeral, after which clashes resumed.
 
The agreement also stated that legal procedures were going to be accelerated for both Shtayyeh and Tbeileh, in order to shorten their detention.
 
"Life has returned to normal in Nablus on Wednesday morning," Ameen Abu Wardeh, a Nablus-based journalist, told The New Arab.

The funeral of Firas Yaish, who rose during the protests against the arrest of the security services, Shtayyeh and Tabila, last night
1/ pic.twitter.com/xTsmfSVNdh

— Palestine News 24/7 (@PaliNewsBot) September 20, 2022

"Businesses and institutions opened as usual, while the municipality workers cleaned up the remnants of clashes from the streets and fixed public property that was damaged," he described.  "There still is a sense of tension, as people talk in the streets about what just happened." 
 
"The general feeling is that the arrests of Shtayyeh and Tbeileh should never have happened since people have a lot of sympathy for militants wanted by the occupation forces," Abu Wardeh added.
 
Nablus has been at the centre of the ongoing occupied West Bank escalation. In recent months the city saw an increase of military raids by Israeli forces, often fought back by Palestinian militants, who have also conducted shooting attacks at Israeli targets around the city.
 
The latest events in Nablus have provoked protest actions against the PA in various parts of the West Bank.

Palestinians in #Nablus riot against Palestinian security forces #فلسطين #نابلس pic.twitter.com/jB5mCrxzL4

— Doron Peskin (@PeskinDoron) September 20, 2022

 In the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, youths blocked the main road leading to Ramallah city with obstacles and burning tires on Tuesday, before it was reopened an hour later.
 
On Tuesday too, roads were also blocked in Tulkarem, while minor clashes were reported between protesters and Palestinian police at Al-Arroub refugee camp near Hebron and at Al-Amaari refugee camp near Ramallah.
 
Political reactions to the events in Nablus came from across the board.

The Palestinian government issued a statement calling Palestinians in Nablus to "avoid chaos and disputes", and to "respect law and order in a spirit of responsibility and national unity".

This is a Palestinian Authority jeep being pelted with rocks in the main square of Nablus following their arrest of Musab Shtayyeh.

The PA's authoritarian hold over the Palestinian people is weakening. This is what scares the Israeli regime & the donor community the most. https://t.co/68VfPPV9oG

— Dr. Yara Hawari د. يارا هواري (@yarahawari) September 20, 2022

Statements by Hamas, the PFLP and the DFLP on the other hand, unanimously condemned the arrest of Yaish and Tbeileh, and called to end the PA's security coordination with Israel.
 
The Fatah official, Tawfiq Al-Tirawi, also issued a statement, calling "the patriots of Nablus from all sides to strengthen their unity", adding that "political disagreement is not an excuse to accuse others of treason or spill Palestinian blood".
 
Tirawi is a key figure in the PA and one of the closest to Palestinian president Abbas, who has been at the centre of internal political disputes.
 
Early on Wednesday, media reports said that Tirawi's secretary was abducted last week by unknown men. No official comment has been made by Trawi himself.