Israeli forces Monday overnight detained 18 Palestinians, including three minors, in multiple West Bank raids, according to local and security sources.
They said that Israeli forces rounded up three Palestinians, including two former prisoners, after breaking into their houses in the Ramallah city neighborhood of al-Masayef.
They also rounded up two others, including a former prisoner, and ransacked their houses in Beit Liqya town, southwest of Ramallah.
Meanwhile, Israeli police detained three minors, including two brothers, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
They also handcuffed and detained two others from the Old City of Jerusalem.
In Bethlehem district, the soldiers detained another after stopping him near the entrance of Husan village, west of the southern West Bank city.
In Hebron, gun-toting soldiers arrested two others from the southern West Bank city and thoroughly searched their houses, turning them upside down.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli military vehicles stormed Anabta town, east of Tulkarm, where the soldiers detained two others.
In Jenin district, soldiers re-arrested a former prisoner besides to two others after forcibly entering their houses in Silat al-Harithiya village, northwest of the city.
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