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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13931/palestinians-hamas-fatah-repression
Both Hamas and Fatah Repress Their Political Opponents
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - When it comes to repressing and violating the human rights of their people, Hamas and Fatah have proven that they are comrades-in-arms. Hamas has been accused of using excessive force to suppress Palestinians protesting economic hardship in Gaza. Photos of wounded Palestinians have surfaced on social media. Some had black eyes and bruises over different parts of their bodies, while others appeared to have had their legs and arms broken by Hamas security officers. Since its violent takeover of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has employed an iron-fisted policy against its political opponents and anyone who dares to challenge its rule. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority and its ruling Fatah faction have also been engaging in systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and political opponents. Since the beginning of this year, PA security forces have arrested at least nine journalists, and scenes of PA police beating men, women and children are not unfamiliar. Like Hamas, the PA has also resorted to torture to crush political opponents and dissent. Human rights groups have documented dozens of such cases in PA prisons in recent years.