Israeli forces detain 13 Palestinians from West Bank

Israeli forces Wednesday overnight detained 13 Palestinians from various parts of the West Bank, according to local and security sources.

They said that Israeli forces rounded up seven Palestinians from the southern West Bank district of Hebron.

Two of the seven detainees were identified as residents of Halhul town, north of the city. They were detained after being stopped at the Container checkpoint, southeast of Jerusalem.

Another of the seven detainees was identified as a resident of Adh-Dhahiriya city, southwest of Hebron, and the four others, including two brothers, as residents of Hebron.

The soldiers broke into and searched several houses across the West Bank city, turning them topsy-turvy.

In Bethlehem district, the sources confirmed a similar raid in Za‘tara town, east of the city, resulting in the detention of another.

In Jerusalem, a resident of Beit Anan village, northwest of the city, was detained after being stopped at Zaatara checkpoint, south of Nablus city.

In Ramallah district, military vehicles stormed Silwad town, northeast of the central West Bank city, where the soldiers rounded up a father and his two sons.

Local sources elaborated that the soldiers arrived at the house at 2:00 AM, muscled themselves inside, interrogated the family members and conducted a thorough search, tampering with the contents of the house, before leaving at 7:00.

In the northern West Bank, soldiers barged their way into Seida town, north of Tulkarm, where they re-arrested a former prisoner.

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.

Source: Palestinian News & Information Agency