By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

West Bank arrests and abuse allegations mount while rights groups warn constitutional initiative lacks consensus amid ongoing Israeli escalation.

Key Developments

• Committee documents 235 alleged violations by PA security forces in two months.
• Political arrests formed the largest category, concentrated in Nablus and Jenin.
• Journalists, students and released prisoners were among detainees.
• Gaza Human Rights Center questioned legitimacy of temporary constitution initiative.
• Rights groups say political divisions and war conditions undermine constitutional process.

Arrest Campaigns and Abuse Allegations

A Palestinian prisoners’ families committee documented 235 alleged violations carried out by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces across the occupied West Bank during the past two months, according to local monitoring groups.

The violations included political arrests, interrogations, home raids and restrictions on public freedoms.

The committee reported 111 cases classified as political detention, 26 cases involving torture or stress positions during interrogation, and 34 raids on homes and workplaces.

Additional incidents included 27 restrictions on freedoms, 20 arbitrary trials, seven health deteriorations linked to detention conditions, and five hunger strikes by detainees.

The report also recorded seven cases of security coordination with Israeli forces and multiple dispersals of demonstrations.

Nablus recorded the highest number of cases at 75 violations, followed by Jenin with 49 and Hebron with 34.

Political arrests constituted the largest category. Nablus again led with 32 arrests, followed by Jenin with 19 and Hebron with 14.

Among those detained were released prisoners, including Mohammad Abdel Rahman Bana and Alaa Hassouna.

University students were also arrested, including Zaid Farid Ziyada and Ubaida Adi.

Journalists and union figures were likewise targeted. Local sources said journalist Hammam Atili was detained despite an earlier release order.

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Impact on Civil Freedoms

Local advocacy groups say the pattern reflects a broader crackdown on dissent and political activity inside the West Bank at a time of heightened Israeli military pressure.

Families of detainees accused security services of suppressing protests and restricting political expression rather than protecting civil order.

The allegations come amid continued Israeli military raids across the territory and rising settlement expansion, intensifying internal tensions within Palestinian society.

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Debate Over Temporary Constitution

In parallel, the Gaza Center for Human Rights criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ approval of a draft temporary constitution.

In a statement, the center said any constitutional process must rely on broad national consensus and reflect the political and humanitarian conditions facing Palestinians.

The organization argued the initiative was introduced while Israeli military operations continue in Gaza and settlement expansion accelerates in the West Bank.

It warned that launching a constitutional process under internal division risks deepening political fragmentation rather than strengthening unity.

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Legitimacy Questions

The center stressed that a constitution represents the highest legal social contract and should be drafted through participatory dialogue including political factions, unions, universities and civil society institutions, followed by a public referendum.

It also noted the absence of an active legislative council since its dissolution in 2018 and the continued suspension of general elections, arguing this undermines democratic legitimacy.

The group pointed out that Abbas has remained in office since 2005, despite his four-year electoral mandate expiring in 2009, raising constitutional concerns regarding the authority to approve foundational legal documents.

Rights advocates urged prioritizing national unity, reconstruction of representative institutions and holding comprehensive elections before drafting a constitution.

They warned that any constitutional process lacking popular mandate risks becoming another source of division instead of a unifying framework.

The organizations called for suspending the current initiative and opening a broad national dialogue to rebuild political legitimacy and strengthen Palestinian resilience amid ongoing Israeli policies of displacement and settlement expansion.

(QNN, Gaza Center for Human Rights statements, Palestinian media)