BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO official Hanan Ashrawi on Monday condemned the violent suppression of weekend protests in Ramallah.

Palestinian Authority police attacked demonstrators at a rally Saturday against a proposed meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's vice premier. A day later, police used brutal force at a demonstration against police brutality.

"We condemn the attack on public freedoms, which affect the fundamental rights of the Palestinians, harm the image of our people and our state institutions, and, moreover, jeopardize our democratic future which preserves and protects human rights and the rule of law," Ashrawi said in a statement.

"The Palestinian youth are the leaders of our future, and it is our responsibility to engage them in public life ... and to take the message of their protest very seriously," she added.

The PLO executive committee member called for an independent commission to be formed to investigate those responsible for the violent suppression of the protests.