Israeli Forces Detain 100 Palestinians in West Bank

Rasa - Israeli forces arrested more than 100 Palestinians, including lawmakers and former prisoners, during large-scale raids that targeted many areas across the occupied West Bank throughout the past two days, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS).

News ID: 442128

Date: 16 December 2018 - 18:33

RNA - Last night alone, the forces detained at least 46 Palestinians, including two lawmakers and a journalist, during a large-scale detention campaign across the West Bank, WAFA reported.

Israeli forces conducted multiple overnight raids in Hebron city in addition to the nearby towns of Idhna, Beit Kahel, Yatta and Adh-Dhahiriyya, ransacking civilian houses and interrogating families.

The raids resulted in the detention of at least 13 Palestinians, including Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Muhammad Ismail al-Tal, 52.

During their detention raids in Hebron, soldiers seized a cell phone and video camera among other equipment from Raed al-Sharif, a reporter working for Egypt’s al-Ghad TV, disrupting his news coverage of the raids in Ein Sarah neighborhood.

In Bethlehem district, Israeli forces raided Aida refugee camp, North of Bethlehem city, resulting in the detention of five Palestinians.

They also conducted two separate raids into Janata and Harmala villages, South of Bethlehem, detaining two others.

Three additional raids were reported in Aida refugee camp and Tuqu' town, North and South of the city, as well as in the Bethlehem-city neighborhood of Jabal al-Mawaleh, resulting in the detention of three others.

In the Northern West Bank, Israeli armored military vehicles stormed the Nablus city, where soldiers stormed several civilian houses and rounded up four Palestinians, including PLC member Yasser Mansour and An-Najah University lecturer Mustafa Shunnar.

Forces also conducted separate two raids into Madama and Beita towns, South of Nablus, detaining two Palestinians, including a former prisoner.

In Jerusalem district, Israeli military police detained two Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of al-Eizariya and Wadi al-Joz.

Three others were rounded up during similar predawn raids in Abu Dis town and Qalandia refugee camp, East and North of Jerusalem.

In the central West Bank, PPS confirmed that Israeli forces detained five Palestinians, including a journalist and former prisoner, from Ramallah and al-Bireh districts.

One detainee was rounded up from the Ramallah-city neighborhood of al-Masayef, another from the al-Bireh-city neighborhood of al-Janan, a third from Beitunia town, West of Ramallah, a fourth from al-Lubban al-Gharbi village, Northwest of Ramallah, and a fifth from Beit Liqya town, Southwest of the city.

It follows a 24-hour-spate of deadly attacks and raids across the west Bank that left four Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers dead.

It also came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threated a series of collective punishment measures following the attacks, such as demolition of homes belonging to the families of suspected Palestinian assailants and accelerated settlement construction.

Such Israeli measures, taken under the guise of security, are intended to entrench Israel’s 51-year-old military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial project which it enforces with routine and frequently deadly violence against Palestinians.

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