Palestinians protest political-motivated arrests by local authorities

Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated in the West Bank Thursday, demanding factions to stop arresting their political dissidents.

The demonstration took place in front of a prison in Nablus city, where the Palestinian National Authority, dominated by President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, holds sway.

The demonstrators raised photos of pro-Hamas people detained in the West Bank and slogans calling for releasing all political prisoners in the West Bank and also in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

The demonstration comes weeks after the rival Palestinian groups signed an Egyptian-brokered agreement to reconcile and form a unity government.

The agreement also stipulates general elections within a year after the technocratic government is formed.

Local and international rights groups consistently accused Fatah and Hamas of cracking down against their political dissidents in the two Palestinian territories they control.

Posted in: Palestinians protest political-motivated arrests by local authorities