Israeli police today detained four Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, according to local sources. They said that the heavily-armed police rounded up two Palestinians from the Old City of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, police detained another, identified as a resident of Silat al-Harithiya village, northwest of Jenin, from his workplace in Umm al-Fahm city in northern Israel. The sources confirmed an army raid in Shweika neighborhood, north of Tulkarm, resulting in the detention of another. Earlier today, Israeli forces detained 11 Palestinians and ransacked a number of houses mostly in predawn raids across the West Bank. One of the detainees was identified as a resident of Silat al-Harithiya village, northwest of Jenin, another of Nur Shmas refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, another as a resident of Tulkarm refugee camp, and another as a resident of Tammun town, south of Tubas, in the northern West Bank. As part of the seven others, a Palestinian was detained from Arura town, north of Ramallah, four others from Beit Kahel town, northwest of Hebron, another from Sa’ir town, northeast of Hebron, in addition to another from al-Karmel village, east of Yatta. 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 4,900 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 155 children and 32 female prisoners. This number includes 1,014 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.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency