NABLUS (Ma'an) -- A man tried to set himself on fire in Nablus on Sunday in protest against a police campaign to regulate street vendors in the West Bank, locals said.
Muhammad Yaesh, 40, poured gasoline on himself near a roundabout in the city, witnesses told Ma'an, before police prevented him from setting it alight.
Yaesh, the breadwinner for a family of 12, told Ma'an after the incident that he was desperate following the confiscation of his fruit stall by police.
"I decided to set myself on fire, and to pour gasoline on myself because I reached a desperate level. I reached a level where life and death are equal to me and have the same meaning," he said.
Yaesh had bought 4,000 shekels ($1,120) worth of fruit on credit from buyers, and was depending on sales alone to pay back his loans and make a profit.
When police confiscated the stall, Yaesh said he was worried about not being able to pay back his creditors, and decided to set himself on fire.
