28 aug 2015
European Union missions based in Jerusalem and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank condemned Friday a death sentence issued in the Gaza Strip earlier this week.
The sentence was the fifth issued since the beginning of the year by Palestinian courts. On Monday, the Permanent Military Court in Gaza City -- acting as a court of First Instance -- sentenced a 37-year-old Palestinian from the al-Daraj neighborhood to death by firing squad after he was convicted of "collaboration with a foreign hostile entity," the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported.
Under Palestinian law, wilful, premeditated murder and treason as well as collaboration with the enemy -- usually Israel -- are punishable by death. The EU called on authorities in Gaza -- run by the Hamas movement -- to refrain from enforcing capital punishment on the grounds that the practice is cruel, inhumane, fails to deter criminal behavior, and denies citizens human dignity.
PCHR said that Monday's sentence brings the total number of death sentences issued by the Palestinian courts since 1994 to 161, over 80 percent of which were carried out in the Gaza Strip. The remainder took place in the occupied West Bank in courts run by the Palestinian Authority.
The majority of those facing the death penalty in the Gaza Strip have been executed since Hamas took control on 2007, PCHR said, adding that 19 have been executed since 2007 without ratification by President Mahmoud Abbas.
Under Palestinian law, capital punishment may only be carried out with the approval of the Palestinian president. As the Hamas movement broke from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 and does not recognize the legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip sidestep the president's consent on cases of capital punishment.
The EU added that the authorities in Gaza must "comply with the moratorium on executions put in place by the Palestinian Authority, pending abolition of the death penalty in line with the global trend. "While Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and the Palestinian Authority rules in the occupied West Bank, the death penalty is carried out by both parties in both territories.
Hamas executed 18 men in August for alleged collaboration with Israel during the 50-day Gaza war. Palestine is one of 22 countries that carried out the death penalty last year. The practice has been abolished in 140 countries -- nearly two thirds of countries around the world -- and in 2012 over half of United Nations member states voted for a UN resolution to be passed for a global moratorium on the practice.
In 2014, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States carried out the largest numbers of recorded death sentences. Rights groups have criticized Palestinian authorities in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip for implementing capital punishment without due process.
The sentence was the fifth issued since the beginning of the year by Palestinian courts. On Monday, the Permanent Military Court in Gaza City -- acting as a court of First Instance -- sentenced a 37-year-old Palestinian from the al-Daraj neighborhood to death by firing squad after he was convicted of "collaboration with a foreign hostile entity," the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported.
Under Palestinian law, wilful, premeditated murder and treason as well as collaboration with the enemy -- usually Israel -- are punishable by death. The EU called on authorities in Gaza -- run by the Hamas movement -- to refrain from enforcing capital punishment on the grounds that the practice is cruel, inhumane, fails to deter criminal behavior, and denies citizens human dignity.
PCHR said that Monday's sentence brings the total number of death sentences issued by the Palestinian courts since 1994 to 161, over 80 percent of which were carried out in the Gaza Strip. The remainder took place in the occupied West Bank in courts run by the Palestinian Authority.
The majority of those facing the death penalty in the Gaza Strip have been executed since Hamas took control on 2007, PCHR said, adding that 19 have been executed since 2007 without ratification by President Mahmoud Abbas.
Under Palestinian law, capital punishment may only be carried out with the approval of the Palestinian president. As the Hamas movement broke from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 and does not recognize the legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip sidestep the president's consent on cases of capital punishment.
The EU added that the authorities in Gaza must "comply with the moratorium on executions put in place by the Palestinian Authority, pending abolition of the death penalty in line with the global trend. "While Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and the Palestinian Authority rules in the occupied West Bank, the death penalty is carried out by both parties in both territories.
Hamas executed 18 men in August for alleged collaboration with Israel during the 50-day Gaza war. Palestine is one of 22 countries that carried out the death penalty last year. The practice has been abolished in 140 countries -- nearly two thirds of countries around the world -- and in 2012 over half of United Nations member states voted for a UN resolution to be passed for a global moratorium on the practice.
In 2014, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States carried out the largest numbers of recorded death sentences. Rights groups have criticized Palestinian authorities in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip for implementing capital punishment without due process.
PA Security Forces escalated their political arrests against Hamas’s supporters and leaders in the West Bank. Eight citizens were arrested Friday, while two others were summoned.
In Tubas, Palestinian Intelligence Services arrested a university student after being summoned for investigation. A second detainee was reported in the city.
For its part, the PA Preventive Security (PPS) extended the arrest of the leader in Hamas Movement Nader Sawafta for ten days pending investigation. Sawafta has been on a hunger strike since his arrest four days ago, his family said.
The PPS also arrested four university students in al-Khalil, one of them was summoned for investigation before his detention.
In Nablus, the PPS detained the leader in Hamas Movement Wajih Abu Eida and his wife after brutally storming his house overnight.
In Jenin, the Palestinian Intelligence Services continue the arrest of the teacher Ahmed Jaradat after being taken from his workplace three day ago.
Along the same line, PA Security Services summoned two citizens in Qalqilia.
Commenting on PA political arrests in West Bank, former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qubaha strongly denounced the PA deliberate targeting of Palestinian citizens especially women.
Palestinian women, especially those who were recently liberated from Israeli jails, are a red line that could never be crossed in any way, he said.
Qubaha considered the PA forces’ attack on Palestinian women and their detention as a national and moral crime against the Palestinian people.
Qubaha’s statements came a day after a Palestinian youth was shot and injured by PA Preventive Forces after they stormed the home of the Palestinian journalist Ghufran Zamil at the Ein refugee camp, in western Nablus. Ghufran is the fiancée of a detained Palestinian leader.
In Tubas, Palestinian Intelligence Services arrested a university student after being summoned for investigation. A second detainee was reported in the city.
For its part, the PA Preventive Security (PPS) extended the arrest of the leader in Hamas Movement Nader Sawafta for ten days pending investigation. Sawafta has been on a hunger strike since his arrest four days ago, his family said.
The PPS also arrested four university students in al-Khalil, one of them was summoned for investigation before his detention.
In Nablus, the PPS detained the leader in Hamas Movement Wajih Abu Eida and his wife after brutally storming his house overnight.
In Jenin, the Palestinian Intelligence Services continue the arrest of the teacher Ahmed Jaradat after being taken from his workplace three day ago.
Along the same line, PA Security Services summoned two citizens in Qalqilia.
Commenting on PA political arrests in West Bank, former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qubaha strongly denounced the PA deliberate targeting of Palestinian citizens especially women.
Palestinian women, especially those who were recently liberated from Israeli jails, are a red line that could never be crossed in any way, he said.
Qubaha considered the PA forces’ attack on Palestinian women and their detention as a national and moral crime against the Palestinian people.
Qubaha’s statements came a day after a Palestinian youth was shot and injured by PA Preventive Forces after they stormed the home of the Palestinian journalist Ghufran Zamil at the Ein refugee camp, in western Nablus. Ghufran is the fiancée of a detained Palestinian leader.
26 aug 2015
In light of a new death sentence issued in the Gaza Strip, which is the fifth of its kind in 2015 in the Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled areas, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reiterates its call for the abolition of death penalty in the PA controlled areas.
On Monday, 24 August 2015, the Permanent Military Court in Gaza City, acting as a court of First Instance, sentenced N. 'A. A. (37), from al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, to death by firing squad after convicting him of collaboration with a foreign hostile entity in violation of Article (131) of the 1979 Palestinian Revolutionary Penal Code.
Thus, the total number of death sentences issued by the PA since 1994 has risen to 161, of which 133 has been issued in the Gaza Strip and 28 in the West Bank. Among those issued in the Gaza Strip, 76 have been issued since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007.
The Palestinian Authority also executed 32 death sentences, of which 30 have been executed in the Gaza Strip and 2 in the West Bank. Among those executed in the Gaza Strip, 19 have been executed since 2007 without ratification by the Palestinian President in violation of the law.
PCHR is gravely concerned over the continued application of the death penalty in Palestinian Authority controlled areas, and:
1. Points out that the call for abolition of the death penalty does not reflect a tolerance for those convicted of serious crimes, but it is based on a moral, philosophical and legal position when considering deterrent penalties that maintain our humanity, especially that this is a non-retractable punishment in case of implementing it. Moreover, it did not prove that it was deterrent to crimes in many countries as it is still applied in the United States and Saudi Arabia etc.; and
2. Stresses that ratification of the implementation of death sentences is an absolute power of the Palestinian President according to the Palestinian Basic Law and relevant laws, and no death sentence can be implemented without such ratification.
3. Calls for an immediate moratorium on the use of such cruel punishment because it violates international human rights, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), and the UN Convention against Torture (1984(;
4. Calls upon the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), if convened, to review all legislations related to the death penalty, especially the Penal Law No. 74 (1936) which remains in effect in the Gaza Strip, and the Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 (1960) that is in effect in the West Bank, and enacting a unified penal code that is in line with the spirit of international human rights instruments, especially those pertaining to the abolition of the death penalty.
On Monday, 24 August 2015, the Permanent Military Court in Gaza City, acting as a court of First Instance, sentenced N. 'A. A. (37), from al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, to death by firing squad after convicting him of collaboration with a foreign hostile entity in violation of Article (131) of the 1979 Palestinian Revolutionary Penal Code.
Thus, the total number of death sentences issued by the PA since 1994 has risen to 161, of which 133 has been issued in the Gaza Strip and 28 in the West Bank. Among those issued in the Gaza Strip, 76 have been issued since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007.
The Palestinian Authority also executed 32 death sentences, of which 30 have been executed in the Gaza Strip and 2 in the West Bank. Among those executed in the Gaza Strip, 19 have been executed since 2007 without ratification by the Palestinian President in violation of the law.
PCHR is gravely concerned over the continued application of the death penalty in Palestinian Authority controlled areas, and:
1. Points out that the call for abolition of the death penalty does not reflect a tolerance for those convicted of serious crimes, but it is based on a moral, philosophical and legal position when considering deterrent penalties that maintain our humanity, especially that this is a non-retractable punishment in case of implementing it. Moreover, it did not prove that it was deterrent to crimes in many countries as it is still applied in the United States and Saudi Arabia etc.; and
2. Stresses that ratification of the implementation of death sentences is an absolute power of the Palestinian President according to the Palestinian Basic Law and relevant laws, and no death sentence can be implemented without such ratification.
3. Calls for an immediate moratorium on the use of such cruel punishment because it violates international human rights, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), and the UN Convention against Torture (1984(;
4. Calls upon the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), if convened, to review all legislations related to the death penalty, especially the Penal Law No. 74 (1936) which remains in effect in the Gaza Strip, and the Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 (1960) that is in effect in the West Bank, and enacting a unified penal code that is in line with the spirit of international human rights instruments, especially those pertaining to the abolition of the death penalty.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) apparatuses arrested seven Palestinian citizens and summoned another for interrogation in an arbitrary abduction campaign targeting Hamas affiliates across the West Bank, a report said Wednesday.
According to a statement by Hamas, the PA intelligence devices in Nablus nabbed three Palestinian activists, affiliated with the Islamic Bloc at An-Najah University.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the Islamic Bloc at An-Najah University suspended a strike after they received promises from the administration to work on the release of Islamic Bloc activists.
Family of the university student Hani Sharaf, transferred to the PA lock-up in Jericho, said their son has been subjected to severe torture.
The PA Preventive Forces in Nablus kidnapped the ex-prisoner Firas Issa Az’ar after they broke into his family home and ravaged it.
The same forces arrested the young ex-political prisoner Saher Dashoun.
Sources based in al-Khalil said the campaign culminated in the abduction of the ex-prisoner Nadim Sabarna, from Beit Ummar, after they cordoned off his family home.
Meanwhile, university student Ossama Qissiya has been on a hunger-strike for the ninth day running.
The PA devices arrested the youngster Shafe’ al-Saadi from the Jenin refugee camp at the same time as the PA Preventive Forces in Tubas summoned Adham Daraghma for interrogation.
According to a statement by Hamas, the PA intelligence devices in Nablus nabbed three Palestinian activists, affiliated with the Islamic Bloc at An-Najah University.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the Islamic Bloc at An-Najah University suspended a strike after they received promises from the administration to work on the release of Islamic Bloc activists.
Family of the university student Hani Sharaf, transferred to the PA lock-up in Jericho, said their son has been subjected to severe torture.
The PA Preventive Forces in Nablus kidnapped the ex-prisoner Firas Issa Az’ar after they broke into his family home and ravaged it.
The same forces arrested the young ex-political prisoner Saher Dashoun.
Sources based in al-Khalil said the campaign culminated in the abduction of the ex-prisoner Nadim Sabarna, from Beit Ummar, after they cordoned off his family home.
Meanwhile, university student Ossama Qissiya has been on a hunger-strike for the ninth day running.
The PA devices arrested the youngster Shafe’ al-Saadi from the Jenin refugee camp at the same time as the PA Preventive Forces in Tubas summoned Adham Daraghma for interrogation.
Hamas spokesman Husam Badran slammed the Palestinian Authority for its arrest campaigns against Hamas leaders and members in the West Bank last of which was the detention of Nader Sawafta on Tuesday.
Badran stressed, in a press statement, that the escalation of political detentions by PA security forces especially in the current situation is not justified, describing it as a service to the Israeli occupation.
The Hamas leader Badran said the PA security forces have been escalating the persecution of Hamas members and leaders especially among the Islamic bloc students at universities while testimonials showed increase in the pace of torture at PA jails.
He called on the human rights and humanitarian organizations to demand halting the attacks of the PA security forces on Palestinian civilians and to guarantee their right of freedom of speech.
The PA forces stormed a few commercial shops that belong to Sawafta family in Tubas and confiscated security cameras. They also handed a summons to the family ordering the Hamas leader Nader Sawafta to attend an interview with the PA preventive forces. He was arrested after the interview.
Badran stressed, in a press statement, that the escalation of political detentions by PA security forces especially in the current situation is not justified, describing it as a service to the Israeli occupation.
The Hamas leader Badran said the PA security forces have been escalating the persecution of Hamas members and leaders especially among the Islamic bloc students at universities while testimonials showed increase in the pace of torture at PA jails.
He called on the human rights and humanitarian organizations to demand halting the attacks of the PA security forces on Palestinian civilians and to guarantee their right of freedom of speech.
The PA forces stormed a few commercial shops that belong to Sawafta family in Tubas and confiscated security cameras. They also handed a summons to the family ordering the Hamas leader Nader Sawafta to attend an interview with the PA preventive forces. He was arrested after the interview.
25 aug 2015
PA Security Forces arrested Tuesday five Palestinian citizens and summoned others for their political affiliation, Hamas movement said.
According to Hamas’ statement, PA Preventive Services (PPS) arrested a university student after violently raiding his parents’ home in Nablus and confiscating his computer.
A second university student was arrested while entering al-Najeh University in Nablus.
The PPS also arrested the eng. Iyas Yassin from his work place. His family members were brutally attacked while trying to prevent his arrest.
Along the same line, the detention of the ex-detainee Yassin Badersawi, 50, was extended pending investigation, while the political detainee Wael Amdouni, who spent nine years in Israeli jails, was moved from Junid to Jericho prison.
In al-Khalil, PA forces continued to arrest two university students and extended the arrest of another young man for 48 hours.
PA forces also attacked Monday the family members of the political detainee Musab Khufisheh for protesting against his continued detention.
In Ramallah, the General Prosecutor's Office refused to release the political detainee Fadi Hamad on bail.
A student and the secretary of the sports committee at Birzeit University were detained and then released in the same day.
In Qalqilia, PPS summoned the ex-detainee Ahmed Snifeh who was arrested and summoned for more than 100 times at the hands of PA forces.
A second ex-detainee was detained in Tulkarem, while PA forces stormed and searched a political detainee’ home in Jenin.
According to Hamas’ statement, PA Preventive Services (PPS) arrested a university student after violently raiding his parents’ home in Nablus and confiscating his computer.
A second university student was arrested while entering al-Najeh University in Nablus.
The PPS also arrested the eng. Iyas Yassin from his work place. His family members were brutally attacked while trying to prevent his arrest.
Along the same line, the detention of the ex-detainee Yassin Badersawi, 50, was extended pending investigation, while the political detainee Wael Amdouni, who spent nine years in Israeli jails, was moved from Junid to Jericho prison.
In al-Khalil, PA forces continued to arrest two university students and extended the arrest of another young man for 48 hours.
PA forces also attacked Monday the family members of the political detainee Musab Khufisheh for protesting against his continued detention.
In Ramallah, the General Prosecutor's Office refused to release the political detainee Fadi Hamad on bail.
A student and the secretary of the sports committee at Birzeit University were detained and then released in the same day.
In Qalqilia, PPS summoned the ex-detainee Ahmed Snifeh who was arrested and summoned for more than 100 times at the hands of PA forces.
A second ex-detainee was detained in Tulkarem, while PA forces stormed and searched a political detainee’ home in Jenin.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces on Monday afternoon kidnapped two students of Annajah university, thus bringing the total to 17 detained students from the same university.
The son of Palestinian lawmaker Fathi al-Qarawi, Hamza, is one of those detainees, according to a family source.
The source explained that Hamza, 29, was in the afternoon en route from the university in Nablus to his home in Tulkarem when four individuals from the PA preventive security intercepted his car and rounded him up.
He added that Hamza tried to convince them that he wanted to complete his study at the university with no trouble and had enough of being detained, but the security officers physically assaulted him and forcibly took him to al-Juneid jail.
The preventive security also kidnapped on the same day 21-year-old student Hammam Fattash as he was leaving the campus of Annajah University in full view of other students.
The son of Palestinian lawmaker Fathi al-Qarawi, Hamza, is one of those detainees, according to a family source.
The source explained that Hamza, 29, was in the afternoon en route from the university in Nablus to his home in Tulkarem when four individuals from the PA preventive security intercepted his car and rounded him up.
He added that Hamza tried to convince them that he wanted to complete his study at the university with no trouble and had enough of being detained, but the security officers physically assaulted him and forcibly took him to al-Juneid jail.
The preventive security also kidnapped on the same day 21-year-old student Hammam Fattash as he was leaving the campus of Annajah University in full view of other students.
24 aug 2015
At least nine Palestinian citizens, including university students, were arrested and another was summoned for interrogation by the Palestinian Authority (PA) apparatuses in the West Bank, Hamas Movement reported Monday.
The PA preventive forces in Nablus kidnapped the ex-political prisoner Hazem Aseida and the university student Mohamed Foukaha.
The PA intelligence apparatuses in Nablus further nabbed the university student Hani Sharaf in front of the campus.
The two brothers Kamel and Ali Hamran have, meanwhile, been held in the PA lock-ups for more than a couple of months.
Bethlehem-based sources said the PA preventive apparatus also arrested the ex-political prisoner Wissam Abu Basma.
The PA forces in Tulkarem further kidnapped the two brothers Bahaa and Dhia Abu Sitta.
Meanwhile, the PA intelligence apparatus in al-Khalil re-arrested the photojournalist and university student Mus’ab Kfeisheh, a few days after he was released, along with the student Mahmoud al-Harash after he was summoned for interrogation.
The campaign culminated in the abduction of Hassan Mustafa Jaradat by the PA Preventive Forces in Jenin after they broke into his family home and summoned his brother Samer for interrogation.
The PA court in Salfit extended the remand of Mohamed Sheteiteh, enrolled at al-Quds University, for 15 days. Mohamed has been on an open-ended hunger strike for the 30th day running.
The PA preventive forces in Nablus kidnapped the ex-political prisoner Hazem Aseida and the university student Mohamed Foukaha.
The PA intelligence apparatuses in Nablus further nabbed the university student Hani Sharaf in front of the campus.
The two brothers Kamel and Ali Hamran have, meanwhile, been held in the PA lock-ups for more than a couple of months.
Bethlehem-based sources said the PA preventive apparatus also arrested the ex-political prisoner Wissam Abu Basma.
The PA forces in Tulkarem further kidnapped the two brothers Bahaa and Dhia Abu Sitta.
Meanwhile, the PA intelligence apparatus in al-Khalil re-arrested the photojournalist and university student Mus’ab Kfeisheh, a few days after he was released, along with the student Mahmoud al-Harash after he was summoned for interrogation.
The campaign culminated in the abduction of Hassan Mustafa Jaradat by the PA Preventive Forces in Jenin after they broke into his family home and summoned his brother Samer for interrogation.
The PA court in Salfit extended the remand of Mohamed Sheteiteh, enrolled at al-Quds University, for 15 days. Mohamed has been on an open-ended hunger strike for the 30th day running.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) apparatuses stepped up arbitrary arrests against Palestinian activists and students on account of their political affiliations.
A PIC news reporter quoted local sources as stating that Hassan Mustafa Jaradat was kidnapped by the PA Preventive Forces in Jenin after they broke into his family home earlier on Sunday evening and summoned his brother for interrogation.
The abduction was carried out a few hours after the PA intelligence devices nabbed the Palestinian youth Hani Sharaf, from Jenin’s southern town of Arraba, while on his way out of An-Najah University campus in Nablus.
Meanwhile, seven university students from Jenin have been held in PA detention centers. Some of them have reportedly been held in custody for three months.
A PIC news reporter quoted local sources as stating that Hassan Mustafa Jaradat was kidnapped by the PA Preventive Forces in Jenin after they broke into his family home earlier on Sunday evening and summoned his brother for interrogation.
The abduction was carried out a few hours after the PA intelligence devices nabbed the Palestinian youth Hani Sharaf, from Jenin’s southern town of Arraba, while on his way out of An-Najah University campus in Nablus.
Meanwhile, seven university students from Jenin have been held in PA detention centers. Some of them have reportedly been held in custody for three months.
The Islamic Bloc at Annajah University in Nablus has called on the administration of their university to immediately move to have students detained by the Palestinian Authority (PA) security released from West Bank jails.
"We see the silence of the university administration on the kidnapping of students because of their involvement in legal unionist activities as unacceptable and unjustified," the Islamic Bloc, the student wing of Hamas, stated in a press release on Sunday.
The Bloc stressed the need for immediate intervention by the university administration to have all its member students released from PA jails, especially in order to ensure the integrity and transparency of the coming student elections.
The Bloc also appealed to Palestinian premier and interior minister Rami al-Hamdallah to issue an order ending the injustice against its students.
15 students from the Islamic Bloc at Annajah university are being detained by the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank.
"We see the silence of the university administration on the kidnapping of students because of their involvement in legal unionist activities as unacceptable and unjustified," the Islamic Bloc, the student wing of Hamas, stated in a press release on Sunday.
The Bloc stressed the need for immediate intervention by the university administration to have all its member students released from PA jails, especially in order to ensure the integrity and transparency of the coming student elections.
The Bloc also appealed to Palestinian premier and interior minister Rami al-Hamdallah to issue an order ending the injustice against its students.
15 students from the Islamic Bloc at Annajah university are being detained by the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank.
21 aug 2015
The PA Security Forces arrested overnight a father of two Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails as part of its political arrest and summons campaigns in the West Bank.
A PIC reporter quoted local sources as affirming that Imad Canaan, a father of two prisoners, was detained in Jenin and taken to a PA detention center amid local condemnation of the continued targeting of prisoners’ families.
In Bethlehem, PA forces arrested Sheikh Suleiman Da'dua, a preacher of a local mosque, after raiding and searching his home last Saturday.
During the raid, PA forces confiscated an amount of money allocated by Sheikh Suleiman for charitable purposes.
The detention of Sheikh Suleiman, who was detained more than once in Israeli and PA jails, was extended Wednesday for ten days.
His family held the Palestinian Authority responsible for Sheikh Suleiman’s life especially that he suffers from different health problems.
A PIC reporter quoted local sources as affirming that Imad Canaan, a father of two prisoners, was detained in Jenin and taken to a PA detention center amid local condemnation of the continued targeting of prisoners’ families.
In Bethlehem, PA forces arrested Sheikh Suleiman Da'dua, a preacher of a local mosque, after raiding and searching his home last Saturday.
During the raid, PA forces confiscated an amount of money allocated by Sheikh Suleiman for charitable purposes.
The detention of Sheikh Suleiman, who was detained more than once in Israeli and PA jails, was extended Wednesday for ten days.
His family held the Palestinian Authority responsible for Sheikh Suleiman’s life especially that he suffers from different health problems.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) preventive security has detained the Imam of the Grand Mosque in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, on a charge of collecting donations for the Mosque.
The family of the detainee told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that PA preventive security forces kidnapped Sheikh Suleiman Da'dua, Imam of al-Khader Mosque, after a raid on his house last Saturday.
The family added that the security forces ransacked the house and confiscated funds that had been donated for the Mosque and another sum of money belonging to Sheikh Suleiman.
It also said that a PA court on Wednesday extended his detention for 10 days.
The family held the PA preventive security fully responsible for any decline in the health condition of Sheikh Suleiman, especially since he suffers from several health problems.
The family of the detainee told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that PA preventive security forces kidnapped Sheikh Suleiman Da'dua, Imam of al-Khader Mosque, after a raid on his house last Saturday.
The family added that the security forces ransacked the house and confiscated funds that had been donated for the Mosque and another sum of money belonging to Sheikh Suleiman.
It also said that a PA court on Wednesday extended his detention for 10 days.
The family held the PA preventive security fully responsible for any decline in the health condition of Sheikh Suleiman, especially since he suffers from several health problems.
18 aug 2015
The PA Preventive Security Service (PSS) arrested Monday evening the journalist Amer Abu Arafa after storming his home in al-Khalil and confiscating his computer.
Abu Arafa’s fiancé affirmed in a Facebook post that PSS forces detained Abu Arafa after violently breaking into his home.
Abu Arafa, who earlier served time in Israeli jails, works as a journalist for Shihab News Agency.
Abu Arafa’s fiancé affirmed in a Facebook post that PSS forces detained Abu Arafa after violently breaking into his home.
Abu Arafa, who earlier served time in Israeli jails, works as a journalist for Shihab News Agency.
16 aug 2015
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security on Saturday coordinated with the Israeli side to arrest one of its elements following his release from its jail in Ariha.
The man, who still works for the PA national security apparatus, was detained by the PA intelligence for about one year in Ariha jail because of his opposition to PA security practices in the West Bank.
A family source told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the Palestinian intelligence officers of Ariha jail forced Samih Bisharat, 36, to leave the prison in order to be arrested by Israeli soldiers in a nearby area.
Once he arrived at the entrance to Ariha city, Israeli soldiers ambushed him at a makeshift checkpoint and took him handcuffed to one of their patrols in the 1948 occupied lands, the source explained.
The man, who still works for the PA national security apparatus, was detained by the PA intelligence for about one year in Ariha jail because of his opposition to PA security practices in the West Bank.
A family source told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the Palestinian intelligence officers of Ariha jail forced Samih Bisharat, 36, to leave the prison in order to be arrested by Israeli soldiers in a nearby area.
Once he arrived at the entrance to Ariha city, Israeli soldiers ambushed him at a makeshift checkpoint and took him handcuffed to one of their patrols in the 1948 occupied lands, the source explained.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses on Saturday detained four Palestinian citizens, summoned two others for interrogation, and extended the detention of many political prisoners illegally as part of its security cooperation with the Israeli occupation.
In al-Khalil, the preventive security forces kidnapped 18-year-old Abdul-Qadder al-Qawasmeh after he attended a soccer game in the city.
The detainee is the son of martyr Abdullah al-Qawasmeh from al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
The preventive security apparatus also refused to comply with a court verdict ordering the release of Rami al-Rajoub, a university student, and extended the detention of another one named Hamza al-Qawasmeh for eight days.
In Ramallah, the PA intelligence agency kidnapped a young man identified as Zakariya Hashayka from outside a mosque in the city and summoned another man for interrogation.
The PA security forces also tried to kidnap two young protestors during a march held Saturday in Ramallah in solidarity with hunger striking prisoner Mohamed Allan, but they failed after other protestors intervened and saved them.
In Nablus, PA courts, in turn, extended the detention of six political detainees held by the preventive security.
In another context, lawyer Ahmed Abu Fakhida, from Ramallah, received a summons for interrogation from the Israeli intelligence despite his presence in a PA jails in the city, according to his family.
In al-Khalil, the preventive security forces kidnapped 18-year-old Abdul-Qadder al-Qawasmeh after he attended a soccer game in the city.
The detainee is the son of martyr Abdullah al-Qawasmeh from al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
The preventive security apparatus also refused to comply with a court verdict ordering the release of Rami al-Rajoub, a university student, and extended the detention of another one named Hamza al-Qawasmeh for eight days.
In Ramallah, the PA intelligence agency kidnapped a young man identified as Zakariya Hashayka from outside a mosque in the city and summoned another man for interrogation.
The PA security forces also tried to kidnap two young protestors during a march held Saturday in Ramallah in solidarity with hunger striking prisoner Mohamed Allan, but they failed after other protestors intervened and saved them.
In Nablus, PA courts, in turn, extended the detention of six political detainees held by the preventive security.
In another context, lawyer Ahmed Abu Fakhida, from Ramallah, received a summons for interrogation from the Israeli intelligence despite his presence in a PA jails in the city, according to his family.
15 aug 2015
Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses on Saturday opened fire at a protest march staged in the West Bank city of Nablus by the families of the political detainees who are held in PA jails.
The PIC reporter said that armed PA security men attacked the participants and tried to disperse them. Shots were fired in the air causing a state of panic among the detainees’ families who were mostly women.
Musab al-Khatib, a reporter at al-Quds TV channel, was dragged by the PA apparatuses to a vehicle; they confiscated his private cellphone and then released him.
Families of the political detainees, MPs of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and leaders in Hamas movement, participated in the sit-in. They raised photos of the detainees and chanted slogans calling for releasing them.
The participants lashed out at the harsh incarceration conditions the prisoners are exposed to; especially after transferring most of them to Bethlehem jail to the north of WB which they described as a "slaughterhouse"; as the detainees there are tortured, forced to stand for long hours in painful physical conditions and distorted body positions, deprived from sleeping, in addition to forcing them to sign confessions of committing fabricated charges.
Most of the prisoners in PA jails are ex-detainees in Israeli jails, pro-prisoners activists, and students from al-Najah University, according to the demonstrators.
The PIC reporter said that armed PA security men attacked the participants and tried to disperse them. Shots were fired in the air causing a state of panic among the detainees’ families who were mostly women.
Musab al-Khatib, a reporter at al-Quds TV channel, was dragged by the PA apparatuses to a vehicle; they confiscated his private cellphone and then released him.
Families of the political detainees, MPs of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and leaders in Hamas movement, participated in the sit-in. They raised photos of the detainees and chanted slogans calling for releasing them.
The participants lashed out at the harsh incarceration conditions the prisoners are exposed to; especially after transferring most of them to Bethlehem jail to the north of WB which they described as a "slaughterhouse"; as the detainees there are tortured, forced to stand for long hours in painful physical conditions and distorted body positions, deprived from sleeping, in addition to forcing them to sign confessions of committing fabricated charges.
Most of the prisoners in PA jails are ex-detainees in Israeli jails, pro-prisoners activists, and students from al-Najah University, according to the demonstrators.
11 aug 2015
Israeli soldiers
Israeli military sources revealed last night that one of their soldiers lost his gun in the Old City of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. He suspected that settlers stole it before the Palestinian Authority security services informed him that they had the weapon and would deliver it to him without delay.
The soldier was with the Kfir infantry brigade division responsible for night arrests in the occupied West Bank. He lost his gun on his way back to the Jewish settlement in the heart of Hebron after leaving it on the side of his Jeep. On reaching the settlement, he realised that his gun was missing and tried to look for it by retracing his steps, but didn't find it. He then suspected that one of the settlers in the area had taken it.
The army later contacted the PA security services in this regard and officers were informed that the weapon had reached them after some Palestinians found it when it fell off the Jeep. The weapon was returned immediately to the officer in question. He later apologised to the settlers in Hebron, saying that he jumped to conclusions by accusing them.
The army has opened an investigation into the incident and punished the officer for his negligence.
Israeli military sources revealed last night that one of their soldiers lost his gun in the Old City of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. He suspected that settlers stole it before the Palestinian Authority security services informed him that they had the weapon and would deliver it to him without delay.
The soldier was with the Kfir infantry brigade division responsible for night arrests in the occupied West Bank. He lost his gun on his way back to the Jewish settlement in the heart of Hebron after leaving it on the side of his Jeep. On reaching the settlement, he realised that his gun was missing and tried to look for it by retracing his steps, but didn't find it. He then suspected that one of the settlers in the area had taken it.
The army later contacted the PA security services in this regard and officers were informed that the weapon had reached them after some Palestinians found it when it fell off the Jeep. The weapon was returned immediately to the officer in question. He later apologised to the settlers in Hebron, saying that he jumped to conclusions by accusing them.
The army has opened an investigation into the incident and punished the officer for his negligence.