RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 08, 2019 (WAFA) – A large Israeli army force raided on Tuesday the Ramallah-area village of Abu Shkheidem where it arrested Assem Barghouti, whom Israel claims has killed two Israeli soldiers in December in a shooting attack near Ramallah, and a man and his four sons, according to a Palestinian security source.

Barghouti’s brother, Saleh, was killed by Israeli soldiers in December in an ambush north of Ramallah. He was alleged to have opened fire and injured seven Israeli settlers in Ofra settlement to the north of Ramallah.

The next day to the killing of Saleh Barghouti, two soldiers were shot and killed not far from the location of the earlier attack. Israel suspected the attacker was  Saleh’s brother, Assem, and has been searching for him since then. His father and all his brothers were also arrested since the attack and his family was threatened with expulsion to Jericho as part of Israel’s collective punishment policy.

The army also detained Haytham Idris and four of his sons for allegedly giving refuge to Assem Barghouti.

M.K.