President Mahmoud Abbas has outlawed the West Bank's largest labor union and arrested its top two officials in what critics say is a sign of increasing heavy-handedness by the Palestinian leader.
An announcement by Abbas' office followed a series of strikes by the union demanding more benefits. It said the strikes were illegal and "harmed the public interest."
Moayad Amer, an official of the 40,000-member union, said Sunday that officials were trying to get their leaders released. "It is our right to have a union," he said.
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Jihad Harb, an analyst, said Abbas has ruled "in an autocratic way" since losing control of the Gaza Strip to the rival Hamas militant group in 2007.