National and human rights figures meet Shtayyeh, raising the demands of the popular movement after the killing of Banat

Jerusalem24 – Yesterday, Saturday, national and human rights figures confirmed that they met with Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh, following the developments of the protest movement in the street after the killing of the opposition political activist Nizar Banat, stressing that they raised the demands of the popular movement.

The head of the gathering of independent personalities, Dr. Mamdouh Al-Aker during a press conference: “We agreed, as independent national figures, to respond to the call of Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh to sit down to present the demands of the popular protest movement, and to express great concern about the way in which the responses of the Palestinian Authority and its security forces, which could pose a threat to civil peace and societal cohesion.”

According to Al-Aker, the demands presented are justice for Nizar Banat, and that the Ministry of Interior specifically bear the political responsibility for the killing of Nizar Banat, so that this justice can take its full extent, including all those who issued the orders and those who attacked Nizar Banat, and to prevent this behavior from being repeated.

Al-Aker said, “during the meeting with Shtayyeh, it was stressed the need to form a national unity government whose main tasks would be to prepare for general elections as soon as possible, as well as to stop infringements on rights and public freedoms, especially freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly, freedom of the press and the right to access information, and to investigate accountability Those responsible for abusing the demonstrators, especially the sit-in, in front of the police headquarters in Al-Balou’ in Al-Bireh, about two weeks ago.”

Al-Aker continued, “among the demands is the change of leaders of the security services coupled with the reform of these agencies and the creation of a mechanism for civilian oversight over them,” noting that the Prime Minister expressed understanding for these demands, and called for a follow-up to that after the Eid al-Adha holiday.

In response to a question if the meeting with Shtayyeh means that there will be a cessation of protests and movements in the street, and if the meeting took place in coordination with youth groups and movements in the square, Al-Aker responded, “What is at stake is the extent to which the government and the authority are serious about these demands, which the popular protest movement demands daily. We do not believe that there is a possibility to stop the protests, restore calm, and avoid threats to civil and societal peace, unless the infringements on rights and freedoms in general are stopped.”

In her turn, feminist activist Amal Khreisheh said in a speech during the conference, “this meeting took place to preserve public freedoms. There are demands raised by the Palestinian street through numerous movements that crystallized around specific demands, which include a radical change in the Palestinian political system through the rotation of power and elections, in order to consolidate the ranks of Palestinian society on the basis of the rule of law and the separation of powers, to strengthen our steadfastness in our battle with the occupation that continues its aggressions in our occupied country.”

As for the writer and political analyst, Jihad Harb, he said in his speech during the conference, “national, human rights, and societal figures set out to meet today, out of great concern that there would be an appropriate atmosphere for justice for Nizar Banat and the Palestinian citizens who were subjected to a range of abusive practices during the last period.”