On Saturday, hundreds of people marched the streets of Ramallah to show their discontent with the decision by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to return to negotiations Israel. The negotiations are planned to open in Washington on Monday evening and will be led by Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni. During the march three demonstrators and four police officers were injured while dozens of demonstrators were arrested, according to Maan news. The PA decision to return to the negotiations with Israel was announced last week and created great controversy among the Palestinians. The so-called “peace talk” is the first attempt in years to find a peace-agreement between Israel and Palestine and was initiated by United States Secretary of State John Kerry. These talks however, are faced by many with skepticism due to the unequal nature of the negotiations.
The Ramallah protest was organized by the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The imprisoned secretary general of PFLP, Ahmad Saadat, encouraged people to take to the streets in a letter made public on Friday. In the letter, he calls on the Palestinian people to: “break all the barriers of silence and step up to defend the national rights that are being threatened in this critical phase in the region,” according to Maan News.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Main Square in Ramallah. The group then marched towards PLO headquarter in Muqata, shouting slogans against the planned negotiations.
During the demonstration, clashes occurred between the protesters and PA police officers, leaving three protesters and four police officers injured.
According to Addameer Prisoners Group a dozen protesters were arrested by the PA during the unrest, some of them were taken to a local hospital where they received treatment for their injuries. Five of the arrested protesters were released late Sunday evening. All of the five released were affiliates of the PFLP, according to Maan News
