Protesters against price hikes burn Fayyad’s effigy in al-Khalil

Hundreds of Palestinians organized a mass protest in Ibn Rushd square in al-Khalil city on Tuesday against the rising cost of living and called for the resignation of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Dozens of taxis, bulldozers and public vehicles traveled from south to central al-Khalil to protest the rising cost of fuel, driving their vehicles in procession to the Ibn Rushd square in the center of town.

Hundreds of protesters also joined the demonstration in the city center against the rising price of basic commodities.

The participants raised banners on which they wrote phrases and slogans calling for the resignation of Ramallah Prime Minister, who they hold responsible for price hikes while a group of them set fire to an effigy of Fayyad.

They also chanted angry slogans against the Prime Minister and other slogans emphasizing Palestinians’ right to live in dignity in their homeland and to protest against the difficult conditions from which they have been suffering since five years.

MP Hatem Qafisha said that “Fayyad’s government” must resign because it is an illegal and unconstitutional government, while other figures demanded the formation of a national consensus government.

A number of Islamist MPs, factional and tribal figures and youths from the different factions participated in the sit-in, called for by youths against price rises in al-Khalil, and which lasted more than two hours.