Tensions in the occupied territories are on the rise. Two young Palestinians — Mohammad Abu al-Taher, 22, and Nadim Nuwara, 17 — were killed near the Bitunia checkpoint during the Nakba Day protests May 15. According to Palestinian sources, they were shot with live ammunition during clashes with Israeli troops. On the face of it, this is yet another incident reflecting the stormy, restless atmosphere in the Palestinian Authority (PA). The reasons for this unrest have often been explained in recent months: frustration, unemployment, lack of diplomatic horizon, weakening of the Palestinian security apparatus and so on.

Yet, the Nakba Day incident in Bitunia should not be viewed as just another bloody incident, but rather as a warning signal. When analyzing the conduct of the Palestinian security forces before and during the clashes in which the two young men were killed, it appears that the PA's capacity to control violent events — which was very successful in the past — is now highly doubtful.

These demonstrations, dubbed “popular protests,” although most are organized by various groups in the occupied territories, have become commonplace in recent months. Many young people regularly show up on Fridays at the Hawara, Kalandia or Bitunia checkpoints, and even at the Ram roadblock on the edge of Jerusalem, and clash with Israeli soldiers.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoints have always constituted sensitive and dangerous points of friction. But since the waning of the second intifada, and the growing power of the effectively trained Palestinian security forces, the PA’s police have had a key role in "keeping the flames of protest" under reasonable control.