Palestinian woman self-immolates in protest against PA cart confiscation

An unnamed, middle-aged Palestinian woman set herself ablaze in protest of the confiscation of her family members’ commercial carts by the Palestinian Authority.

By ADAM RASGON
Updated: FEBRUARY 14, 2017 00:38
Palestinian Authority police officers stand guard in the West Bank [File] (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority police officers stand guard in the West Bank [File]
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A 40-year-old Palestinian woman set herself on fire on Sunday after Palestinian Authority police officers confiscated vending stalls belonging to her son and husband in Tulkarm, a northern West Bank city.
The woman, whose name the police have not cleared for publication, poured gasoline over her body and lit herself on fire in front of a local police station before officers rescued her, PA Police spokesman Louay Zreikat said.
She was transferred to a local hospital and is in moderate condition.
Earlier Sunday morning, the Palestinian Authority Police and the Tulkarm Municipality began the implementation of a plan to increase the city’s pedestrian space, ordering the relocation of vending stalls, which currently crowd the sidewalks, to three designated locations.
When police officers told the woman’s son and husband that they must relocate their stalls to one of the designated locations, they hit the officers, Zreikat said, prompting the police to arrest them and confiscate the stalls. Shortly thereafter, the woman set herself ablaze.
The woman’s family members were not available for comment.
Approximately a month ago, another Palestinian, 20-year-old Islam al-Maqusi, set himself on fire in Gaza City following an incident during which he said a can of food was stolen from him.