Israeli forces detain 30 Palestinians in sweeping West Bank raids

Israeli forces Thursday overnight detained 30 Palestinians in sweeping raids across the West Bank, according to local and security sources.

They said that Israeli police rounded up six Palestinians, including two brothers and their cousin, after ransacking the houses of their families in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Issawiya.

In Bethlehem district, Israeli forces barged their way into the Bethlehem city neighborhood of As-Saff, where they detained another.

They also conducted a similar raid in Dheisheh refugee camp, south of the city, resulting in the detention of four others, including a father and his son.

In Hebron district, the sources confirmed an overnight raid in al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the city, resulting in the detention of nine others.

Soldiers showed up at the house of another in the southern West Bank city and detained him.

In the northern West Bank, heavily-armed soldiers barged their way into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus city, where they rounded up three others.

They rounded up three others after forcibly entering their houses in the city itself.

Still in Nablus district, the military vehicles stormed Tell town, southwest of the city, where they rounded up another.

In Tulkarm district, the sources confirmed two separate raids in Tulkarm city and Deir al-Ghusun town, north of the city, resulting in the detention of two others, including an undergraduate student enrolled in the Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie.

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 & Info Agency