Human Rights Watch issued a report on Tuesday that says Palestinian Authority and Hamas security forces in Judea, Samaria and Gaza have been arresting and abusing journalists and activists critical of their leaders, according to Agence France Presse. in a statement, Sari Bashi, the organization's Israel and PA director said the two bodies, "have apparently arrived at similar methods of harassment, intimidation and physical abuse of anyone who dares criticise them."
A spokesman for PA security forces said, "We are committed to the international treaties that we signed and respect for human rights," adding that officers were trained to avoid rights abuses. Gaza Interior Ministry Spokesman Iyad al-Bozum denied torture or political arrests saying the Human Rights Watch report "includes many fallacies."