PA arrest Dahlan supporters in the West Bank

The Palestinian Authority security services launched a mass arrest campaign against members of the Fatah movement in the West Bank who are believed to support dismissed member Mohammed Dahlan ahead of the movement’s 7th General Conference next week.

The Safa news agency quoted sources in Fatah saying that a majority of the detainees live in Ramallah but originate from the Gaza Strip.

According to sources, the detainees were first held in the intelligence service headquarters before being moved to detention centres. The arrests campaign comes ahead of the movement’s 7th General Conference next week.

Earlier, dozens of Dahlan supporters were not allowed to participate in the conference.

A member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council Sufian Abu Zaida described the arrests as “precautionary ahead of the conference”.

“It comes as a surprise to see the Palestinian Authority security services arrest Fatah members who work in those agencies without committing a crime or planning to commit a crime. It is precautionary arrests,” Abu Zaida said.