On Tuesday, Palestinian security forces in Ramallah used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators throwing rocks and chanting anti-President Mahmoud Abbas, as popular outrage erupted in the aftermath of a fatal Gaza hospital bombing blamed on Israel.
The attack on Gaza’s Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, which killed 500 people, was the bloodiest single incident in Gaza since Israel initiated a campaign in retribution for a murderous Hamas gun rampage across Israeli neighborhoods.
The Israeli military denied involvement in the strike, blaming it on a failed rocket fire by Palestinian militants. The strike was condemned by the West and the Arab world, and protests were held outside Israel’s embassies in Turkey and Jordan, as well as near the US embassy in Lebanon.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched in Ramallah’s central Manara Square on Tuesday, where Abbas was returning after canceling a planned meeting in Jordan with US President Joe Biden. Some chanted in support of Hamas terrorist leaders.
According to witnesses, clashes with Palestinian security forces also erupted in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Tubas, and Jenin, a northern city that was the subject of massive Israeli military operations earlier this year.
The outbreak of West Bank protests shows long-simmering Palestinian resentment of Abbas, whose forces have long been chastised for coordinating security in the territory with Israel.
Also read: Today’s UN Security Council Vote Will Be On Israel-Gaza Conflict
