RAMALLAH, Wednesday, January 20, 2021 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Wednesday overnight detained five Palestinians from the West Bank districts of Jerusalem and Tulkarm, according to local sources.

They confirmed that Israeli forces detained two Palestinians as they attempted to cross Qalandia military checkpoint, north of Jerusalem.

The detainees were identified as the Secretary-General of the Popular National Conference of Jerusalem Maj. Gen. Bilal al-Natsheh and his assistant, Mu‘ath al-Ashhab. They were taken to the Russian Compound, the Maskoubiya, interrogation center in West Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Israeli military vehicles raided Tulkarm refugee camp, north of Tulkarm city, where soldiers rounded up a Palestinian.

Soldiers rounded up two others after ransacking their houses in Anabta town, east of the city.

Earlier, on Tuesday evening, a sizable police force rounded up five Palestinians, including a woman besides to a father and his son, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, which has some 20,000 Palestinians.

Police searchlights pierced the residents’ houses as the hostile police officers conducted the raid, breaking into houses and completely disrupting the residents’ daily life.  

Israeli forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids, which take place also in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, are conducted with no need for a search warrant, whenever and wherever the military chooses in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

K.F.