RAMALLAH, West Bank: A prominent Palestinian activist began a hunger strike Tuesday to protest his detention by the Palestinian authorities after he criticized the autonomy government of President Mahmoud Abbas.
Issa Amro was detained Monday by Palestinian security forces in Hebron, the West Bank’s largest city, after he criticized the detention of a local journalist who had called for Abbas’ resignation. Amro expressed his views in a Facebook post.
Leading human rights groups blasted Amro’s detention. London-based Amnesty International and the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights said it signals a growing crackdown on free expression in the autonomous Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Amro is the founder of the group Youth Against Settlements in volatile Hebron, where Jewish settlers live in heavily guarded enclaves in the center of the city.
Amro was on hunger strike to protest what he said was an unlawful detention, made without a warrant or due process, said his brother, Ahmad Amro.
“Issa started a hunger strike today protesting his arbitrary arrest,” he said. “He has been in detention for more than 24 hours without being presented before a prosecutor and without official charges.”
Amro’s lawyer, Farid Al-Atrash, said he visited Amro and the detained local journalist on Monday.
“It is shameful for the Palestinian Authority to arrest such a strong activist against settlement activities and (Israeli) aggressions in Hebron,” the lawyer said.
Amro, 35, also faces charges in an Israeli military court, including allegedly calling for illegal protests and obstructing the official duties of soldiers. Amro has said Israel is trying to silence him and Amnesty has called for the “baseless” charges to be dropped. His trial is to resume in October.
Al-Atrash said that Israel is trying to halt what he called Amro’s “relentless struggle against settlement activities in Hebron.”
Several hundred Israeli settlers live in heavily guarded enclaves in the midst of tens of thousands of Palestinians. Constant friction between the two populations makes the city a frequent flashpoint of violence.
Adnan Damiri, a spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said he was not aware of the details of Amro’s detention and declined further comment.
In July, Abbas clamped down on social media and news websites — the main outlets for debate and dissent in the West Bank — with a vaguely worded decree that critics say allows his government to jail anyone on charges of harming “national unity” or the “social fabric.”
Rights activists have said the edict, issued without prior public debate, is perhaps the most significant step yet by Abbas’ government to restrict freedom of expression in the areas it administers.
“It is outrageous that a prominent human rights defender has been arrested simply for voicing his opinion online,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“Criticizing the authorities should not be a criminal offense,” she said in a statement. “Issa Amro’s arrest is the latest evidence that the Palestinian authorities are determined to continue with their repressive campaign against free speech.”
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Detained Palestinian activist begins hunger strike
Detained Palestinian activist begins hunger strike
US sanctions Larijani and other Iranian officials over protest crackdown
WASHINGTON: The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Iranian security officials and financial networks, accusing them of orchestrating a violent crackdown on peaceful protests and laundering billions in oil revenues.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measures in the wake of the biggest anti-government protests in the history of the Islamic republic, although the demonstrations appear to have diminished over the last few days in the face of repression and an almost week-long Internet blackout.
“The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, adding that the action was taken at President Donald Trump’s direction.
Among those sanctioned is Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security, whom Washington accused of coordinating the crackdown and calling for force against protesters.
Four regional commanders of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces and Revolutionary Guard were also sanctioned for their roles in the crackdown in Lorestan and Fars provinces.
Security forces in Fars “have killed countless peaceful demonstrators” with hospitals “so inundated with gunshot wound patients that no other types of patients can be admitted,” the Treasury said.
The Treasury additionally designated 18 individuals and entities accused of operating “shadow banking” networks that launder proceeds from Iranian oil sales through front companies in the UAE, Singapore and Britain.
These networks funnel billions of dollars annually using cover companies and exchange houses, as Iranian citizens face economic hardship, according to the Treasury.
The sanctions freeze any US assets of those designated and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Foreign financial institutions risk secondary sanctions for transactions with the designated entities.
The action builds on the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. In 2025, the Treasury sanctioned more than 875 persons, vessels and aircraft as part of this effort, it said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measures in the wake of the biggest anti-government protests in the history of the Islamic republic, although the demonstrations appear to have diminished over the last few days in the face of repression and an almost week-long Internet blackout.
“The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, adding that the action was taken at President Donald Trump’s direction.
Among those sanctioned is Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security, whom Washington accused of coordinating the crackdown and calling for force against protesters.
Four regional commanders of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces and Revolutionary Guard were also sanctioned for their roles in the crackdown in Lorestan and Fars provinces.
Security forces in Fars “have killed countless peaceful demonstrators” with hospitals “so inundated with gunshot wound patients that no other types of patients can be admitted,” the Treasury said.
The Treasury additionally designated 18 individuals and entities accused of operating “shadow banking” networks that launder proceeds from Iranian oil sales through front companies in the UAE, Singapore and Britain.
These networks funnel billions of dollars annually using cover companies and exchange houses, as Iranian citizens face economic hardship, according to the Treasury.
The sanctions freeze any US assets of those designated and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Foreign financial institutions risk secondary sanctions for transactions with the designated entities.
The action builds on the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. In 2025, the Treasury sanctioned more than 875 persons, vessels and aircraft as part of this effort, it said.
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