RAMALLAH, Thursday, June 30, 2022 (WAFA) – Israeli forces today detained 15 Palestinians, mostly in overnight raid across the West Bank, according to local and security sources.
They said that Israeli forces rounded up a Palestinian after breaking into and searching his family house in Ni‘lin town, west of the city of Ramallah.
They also detained three others, including a former prisoner, from Abu Shukheidim village, northwest of the city.
Special Israeli forces showed up at a house in al-Am'ari refugee camp, south of al-Bireh city, muscled inside and detained another.
In Salfit district, the sources confirmed a raid in Qarawat Bani Hassan town, northwest of the city, resulting in the detention of two others.
In Nablus district, Jaser Abu-Amr, a former prisoner, said that Israeli troops surrounded his house, went inside, assaulted him, tampered with the contents of his house and seized some 1,600 shekels (some US$460) along with a Subaru vehicle belonging to the stone-cutting factory where he works.
In Tulkarm district, the heavily-armed soldiers barged their way into Anabta town, east of the northern West Bank city, detained another and searched his family house, turning it upside down.
In Jenin district, a convoy of army vehicles stormed Arraba town, south of the northern West Bank city, where the soldiers forcibly entered a house, conducted a thorough search and eventually re-arrested a former prisoner.
In Bethlehem district, the soldiers conducted a similar raid in Aida refugee camp, north of the southern West Bank city, leading to the detention of two others.
Special Israeli forces sneaked their way into the Bethlehem-Hebron Street, close to Dheisha refugee camp, and abducted a resident.
Elsewhere in the southern West Bank, the soldiers surrounded a house in al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, broke inside, conducted a thorough search and detained another.
In Jerusalem, police detained two of the Waqf-appointed guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and assaulted them in the vicinity of the Gate of Faisal.
Meanwhile, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center posted a video footage showing two children, including a toddler, crying inside their parents’ vehicle after Israeli police arrested their father and mother last night in the colonial commercial area of Talpiot, built on Palestinian land of Baqaa and Beit Safafa.
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.
According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 4,450 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
This number includes approximately 530 Palestinians placed under “administrative detention”, that allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.
Mass arrest of Palestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Addameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one.
K.F.
