Israeli forces today detained at least 10 Palestinians in multiple raids across the occupied West Bank, according to security sources. They said that the occupation forces rounded up five Palestinians, including three members of the Shehadeh family, and ransacked the houses of their families in Urif, south of the city of Nablus. In the northern West Bank district of Tubas, the gun-toting soldiers showed up at a house in Tammun town, south of the city, broke into a house, conducted a thorough search and eventually re-arrested a former prisoner. Elsewhere in the northern West Bank, the sources confirmed a predawn raid in Rummana village, west of Jenin, resulting in the detention of another. In the Jordan Valley, special Israeli forces, disguising themselves in civilian garb, sneaked their way into Jericho city, stormed a store and abducted a resident of Aqabat Jaber, a refugee camp to the southwest of the city. In Jerusalem, heavily-armed police detained another from the Silwan neighborhood and ransacked his family house, wreaking destruction. In the southern West Bank, the soldiers detained another close to the permanently-staffed Tal Rumeidah checkpoint. 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 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 160 children and 31 female prisoners. This number includes 1,083 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: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA