JERUSALEM, (AP) An Israeli force detained a Palestinian human rights lawyer after he participated in a demonstration in the occupied West Bank against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abdulbas. His rights group stated.According to the Independent Commission for Human Rights, Farid al-Atrash was arrested at an Israeli checkpoint as he returned from protesting the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. The PA's headquarters is located there. According to the Independent Commission for Human Rights, Farid al-Atrash was taken to Israel's Hadassah Hospital.Issa Amro was a prominent Palestinian activist who was a friend of al-Atrash. He claimed that he was released from the hospital just hours later, but was still being interrogated by Israeli authorities. It is not clear why he was kept in hospital.Both the Israeli police and military did not respond to requests for comment.Al-Atrash and Amro were both arrested by Israel for participating in and organizing protests against the military occupation of the West Bank. Amro stated that al-Atrash was most recently focused on protesting the PA over Nizar Baat, who died just a few hours after being brutally arrested last month by Palestinian security forces.According to him, Mohannad Karajah (a rights lawyer who defends protesters detained by the PA) was briefly held by Palestinian authorities on Sunday. Amro was also detained by the PA and held over night, just days before Banat's death in custody.The Palestinian Authority doesn't comment publicly on arrests.Israel and the Palestinian Authority co-ordinate security in the West Bank to subdue Hamas and other militants that they both consider a threat. This policy is deeply disapprovalled by Palestinians, and it is one of many long-standing grievances that has fuelled the recent protests.In recent weeks, thousands of Palestinians joined protests against the PA. The PA governs a portion of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In recent years, the PA has become increasingly unpopular and autocratic while Western countries still view it as a crucial partner in the fragile peace process.
