Palestinian PM says Israel quashing anti-occupation protests

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian prime minister has accused Israel’s new ultra-nationalist government of blocking “even the most non-violent ways of fighting the occupation.” That’s according to an interview published Monday. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh’s comments to Haaretz came amid a flurry of punitive steps by Israel since taking office late last month. Israel has stripped Palestinian officials of VIP privileges and broken up a meeting of Palestinian parents discussing their children’s education. Late Sunday, Israel’s public security minister ordered the police to ban the Palestinian flag in public spaces, a symbolically fraught move after what one Israeli rights group reported was the deadliest year of the conflict in decades.