PA minister quits amid protests

THE labour minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA) resigned yesterday, a party member said, as security forces braced for further protests demanding President Mahmoud Abbas step down.

The decision comes after three days of heavy protests against the PA, triggered by the violent arrest and death in custody of an activist.

Nizar Banat, a 43-year-old known for social media videos denouncing alleged corruption within the PA, died on Thursday after security forces stormed his house and violently arrested him, his family said.

New protests were planned in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in both Ramallah, the seat of the PA, and Banat’s home town of Hebron.

The left-wing Palestinian People’s Party withdrew from the Fatah-led PA government due to “its lack of respect for laws and public freedoms”, party member Issam Abu Bakr said.

Nasri Abu Jaish, the labour minister and the People’s Party representative in the government, had therefore resigned, said Abu Bakr.

The PA has announced the opening of an investigation into Banat’s death, but it has done little to appease anger on the streets.

On Saturday, protesters in Ramallah hurled rocks at Palestinian security forces, who opened fire with a barrage of tear-gas canisters, with reports of several injured. Protesters called for 86-year-old Abbas to quit.

The original mandate of Abbas expired in 2009, and he has since governed by decree.