Palestinians defiantly protest in Ramallah against Abbas sanctions on Gaza

Despite the temporary ban on public protests, Palestinian throngs of demonstrators assembled in the West Bank’s main metropolis of Ramallah chanting their support for the Gaza Strip in protest of Mahmoud Abbas’ sanctions on the Hamas-run enclave.

Palestinian security forces fired stun grenades and tear gas as riot dispersal against the protesters.

The measures forced the protesters, including men, women and children, to retreat, before returning, with the scene repeating itself for nearly an hour, an AFP reporter said, noting a number of people were arrested.

Late Sunday hundreds took to the streets of Ramallah, the West Bank city that houses the Palestinian government, calling for Abbas to end measures against Gaza that critics say harm the two million residents.

Organizers estimated 2,000 people attended, a rare show of opposition to the government in the city.

A statement on official news agency Wafa said Wednesday no permits for protests would be given out during the coming days -- citing the Eid Muslim festival which is expected to begin Friday.

"In order to facilitate citizens' normal life in this period, it is prohibited to grant permits to organize marches or to establish gatherings that would disrupt the movement of citizens and disturb them," it said.

Despite the ban, organizers vowed to go ahead with fresh anti-government protests on Wednesday night.

"The (Israeli) occupation is the main culprit responsible for the blockade on Gaza, but President Abbas is making things worse by also imposing collective punishment on families there," campaign activist Fadi Quran said, vowing to take to the streets.

Gaza, which is only reachable from the West Bank via Israeli territory, is run by Islamists Hamas, who seized it from the Abbas-led Palestinian Authority in a 2007 near civil war.

The PA has introduced a series of measures against Gaza in the past year, while it has not paid full salaries to tens of thousands of its civil servants in the strip for months.

Critics say such moves further exacerbate the split between the two parts of the Palestinian territories.