RAMALLAH, Tuesday, February 23, 2021 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Tuesday detained 18 Palestinians, including a photojournalist and a teen, mostly in overnight raids across the West Bank, according to local and security sources.
A sizable Israeli military force raided al-Yamun town, west of Jenin city, where they conducted a house-to-house raid and search campaign, breaking into many houses, including those of former prisoners, turning them upside down.
By the time the raid that triggered confrontations was over, the soldiers detained two Palestinians and released a number of former prisoners after interrogating them.
Elsewhere in the northern West Bank, Director of the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS) Office, Kamal Bani-Odeh, said that Israeli military vehicles raided Tubas city, where soldiers re-arrested two former prisoners.
The soldiers detained another Palestinian from Tayaseer village, east of Tubas city.
In Jerusalem, Israeli police rounded up a Palestinian after violently storming and searching his parents’ house in Shufat refugee camp.
They also conducted a similar raid in Hizma town, northeast of the city, detaining another.
In the afternoon, police also rounded up Ahmad Jalajel, who works as a photojournalist, after stopping and inspecting his vehicle in al-Tur neighborhood.
In the southern West Bank, the sources confirmed an Israeli raid in the Bethlehem city neighborhood of As-Saff, resulting in the detention of another.
Israeli troops conducted a similar raid into Harmala village, east of the city, resulting in the detention of two others.
In Hebron district, Mohammad Awad, a media activist, said that Israeli forces barged their way into Beit Ummar town, north of the city, where they detained a 17-year-old teen.
They also forced their way into al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the city, where they detained another Palestinian.
This came as Israeli soldiers manning al-Jab'a checkpoint detained three men who attempted to cross the checkpoint.
Two of the detainees were identified as residents of Surif town, northwest of the city, and the other as a resident of Beit Ummar.
Soldiers also showed up at the southern area of Hebron city, where they detained two brothers after storming their family house.
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.
