HAIFA, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 (WAFA) – Israeli police Wednesday overnight detained 58 Palestinian citizens of Israel in a round of detentions as mass protests continue over the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and mass expulsions of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah.

The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (ADALAH) said confirmed that Israeli police rounded up 58 Palestinian citizens of Israel after searching their houses and vandalizing their property in the Palestinian towns and cities across Israel.

It identified the detainees as three from Arraba city, five others from Abu Snan town, four others from Tamra city, another from Baqa al-Gharbiyye city, two others from Deir Hanna village, five others from Ein as-Sahla village, two others from Kafr Yasif town, two others from Jdaideh town, another from Akka (Acre) city, another from Nazareth city, another from al-Half.    

The other 31 detainees were rounded up in large-scale arrest and search raids across southern Israel.

ADALAH pointed that it has approached a number of volunteer lawyers, asking them to provide advice to the detainees at the police stations before interrogation.

Last week, the Israeli police arrested some 850 Palestinian citizens of Israel, most of whom were minors, as part of a violent crackdown on protests in the Palestinian cities, towns and villages as Palestinians took to the streets in denunciation of Israel’s brutal occupation, particularly the aggression on Gaza, the forced displacements in Jerusalem, encroachments upon Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and settler mob violence.

The Israeli security agency, Shin Bet, and border police took part in Wednesday’s arrests.

The arrests came a day after some 1.6 million Palestinian citizens of Israel participated in the general strike observed by the Palestinian people in Israel, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza and worldwide, heeding the call of the Arab High Follow-up Committee, which coordinates between political parties in Israel.

K.F.