PNA rejects Hamas claims on political arrests of members

A senior Palestinian security official denied on Wednesday Hamas' claims that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) arrests its members on political grounds.

"We don't have Hamas prisoners in our jails arrested for expressing their political views and opinions," General Adnan Damiri, spokesman for the PNA security bodies, told a press conference in Ramallah.

"Those in our jails are arrested for criminal and security backgrounds," he added, accusing Hamas of seeking to destabilize and create chaos in the West Bank.

In the PNA jails, there are 59 prisoners who were arrested for security backgrounds and accused of planning attacks and some others were arrested for money laundering and shooting.

"Instead of accusing the PNA, Hamas should clarify what it is doing in Gaza and should mention its attempts of turning the territory into an Islamic state," the spokesman said.

Hamas forces people to pay illegal taxes and repress the population, he said.

Meanwhile, Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that the remarks of Damiri are "poor and an attempt to hide the truth that his security forces target Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists."

"There is no possibility to hide the fact of the ongoing security cooperation between the Israeli occupation and the PNA. This security cooperation target students, journalists and former prisoners in the West Bank," said Abu Zuhri. Endit