14 apr 2015
Palestinian police arrested 11 suspects for alleged criminal activity in the Jenin district in the northern West Bank early Tuesday.
Police spokesman Luay Irziqat told Ma'an that Jenin police had carried out a security campaign across the Jenin district on Tuesday.
Of the 11 arrested, 10 were were taken from villages and towns across Jenin, while one was detained from Jenin refugee camp.
In 2012, the PA began a crackdown on criminal activity across the impoverished district of Jenin.
The crackdown was led by elite presidential guards and the counter-terrorism unit, and was seen at the time as a determined bid by the Western-backed PA to regain control of the area and smash local networks challenging its power.
"This is an ongoing security effort and not a campaign with a start and finish. It will encompass every district so that citizens can live in safety and security," PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said at the time.
"What's going on now is patching the gaps (in the security establishment) through a focused security effort," he said. "We're not talking about a limited operation here."
Reuters reported at the time of the crackdown that for most of its 45 years under Israeli occupation, "Jenin had been dominated by an anarchic patchwork of grassroots political groups and armed factions with shadowy local bosses."
Police spokesman Luay Irziqat told Ma'an that Jenin police had carried out a security campaign across the Jenin district on Tuesday.
Of the 11 arrested, 10 were were taken from villages and towns across Jenin, while one was detained from Jenin refugee camp.
In 2012, the PA began a crackdown on criminal activity across the impoverished district of Jenin.
The crackdown was led by elite presidential guards and the counter-terrorism unit, and was seen at the time as a determined bid by the Western-backed PA to regain control of the area and smash local networks challenging its power.
"This is an ongoing security effort and not a campaign with a start and finish. It will encompass every district so that citizens can live in safety and security," PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said at the time.
"What's going on now is patching the gaps (in the security establishment) through a focused security effort," he said. "We're not talking about a limited operation here."
Reuters reported at the time of the crackdown that for most of its 45 years under Israeli occupation, "Jenin had been dominated by an anarchic patchwork of grassroots political groups and armed factions with shadowy local bosses."
The PA security forces arrested Tuesday morning two Palestinian citizens in Aqraba town to the south of Nablus.
The PIC reporter quoted local sources as saying that PA Preventive Security Services stormed the homes of the activist Tarek Abu Murshid and his uncle Adib Abu Murshid before arresting both of them.
No further details were given over the reason behind their detention.
The detainees’ homes were violently searched during the raid, while their lap tops and mobile phones were confiscated.
A similar political arrest was also reported in the town a week ago.
Meanwhile, PA forces attacked a popular march organized in Jenin on Monday to celebrate the release of the prisoner Mohamed Khalouf, 22, from Israeli jails.
During the march, the PA forces confiscated the raised banners of the Islamic Jihad movement.
Jihad movement has earlier slammed the PA forces’ attack on the march.
The PIC reporter quoted local sources as saying that PA Preventive Security Services stormed the homes of the activist Tarek Abu Murshid and his uncle Adib Abu Murshid before arresting both of them.
No further details were given over the reason behind their detention.
The detainees’ homes were violently searched during the raid, while their lap tops and mobile phones were confiscated.
A similar political arrest was also reported in the town a week ago.
Meanwhile, PA forces attacked a popular march organized in Jenin on Monday to celebrate the release of the prisoner Mohamed Khalouf, 22, from Israeli jails.
During the march, the PA forces confiscated the raised banners of the Islamic Jihad movement.
Jihad movement has earlier slammed the PA forces’ attack on the march.
13 apr 2015
Armed men from Balata refugee camp closed a main road in Nablus early Monday, preventing cars from coming in and out of the city, locals said.
The closure of Jerusalem Street was reportedly in protest against the continued detention of 17 men in a Palestinian Authority jail in Jericho.
The men were detained as part of a crackdown by PA security forces against wanted criminals who had taken refuge in the camp.
Security officials told Ma'an that the PA cannot allow disruptive acts like closures to continue.
"We refuse the ongoing events. This is our stand and it will not change but at the same time things cannot go as they are," Fatah official Jamal al-Tirawi said.
He called upon officials in Nablus to end such actions.
PA forces said that they detained a wanted man, Muhammad Jumaa al-Tirawi, 24, from Balata, after he was injured during an arrest raid.
The clampdown in Balata began at the start of February when the governor of Nablus declared that 18 wanted criminals were hiding in the camp.
Some residents in the camp have accused Palestinian security forces of detaining individuals wanted by Israel and have demanded an end to security coordination between the Palestinian and Israeli security forces.
March witnessed near daily clashes between PA security forces and gunmen and youths from the camp, according to locals. During one incident, two children sustained gunshot injuries during an exchange of fire between gunman in the camp and Palestinian security officers.
The most populated refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Balata houses an estimated 23,000 on less than a kilometer of land.
The closure of Jerusalem Street was reportedly in protest against the continued detention of 17 men in a Palestinian Authority jail in Jericho.
The men were detained as part of a crackdown by PA security forces against wanted criminals who had taken refuge in the camp.
Security officials told Ma'an that the PA cannot allow disruptive acts like closures to continue.
"We refuse the ongoing events. This is our stand and it will not change but at the same time things cannot go as they are," Fatah official Jamal al-Tirawi said.
He called upon officials in Nablus to end such actions.
PA forces said that they detained a wanted man, Muhammad Jumaa al-Tirawi, 24, from Balata, after he was injured during an arrest raid.
The clampdown in Balata began at the start of February when the governor of Nablus declared that 18 wanted criminals were hiding in the camp.
Some residents in the camp have accused Palestinian security forces of detaining individuals wanted by Israel and have demanded an end to security coordination between the Palestinian and Israeli security forces.
March witnessed near daily clashes between PA security forces and gunmen and youths from the camp, according to locals. During one incident, two children sustained gunshot injuries during an exchange of fire between gunman in the camp and Palestinian security officers.
The most populated refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Balata houses an estimated 23,000 on less than a kilometer of land.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) preventive security on Sunday kidnapped Tareq Arziqat, an ex-detainee in Israeli jails, from his home in Taffuh town, west of al-Khalil city.
Forces from the preventive security stormed in the afternoon the house of Arziqat in the town and took him to their headquarters in al-Khali city, according to his family.
The PA preventive security and intelligence apparatus had arrested Arziqat and his brother Baraa several times before because of their affiliation with Hamas.
Their father Abdul-Karim Arziqat, a senior Hamas official, died about two years ago.
In a separate incident, one Palestinian young man suffered a bullet injury during armed clashes with PA security forces on Sunday evening in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus city.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the security forces arrested a young man called Mohamed Jum'ah after he suffered a bullet injury in his leg during the events in the camp.
They added that the skirmishes took place after masked gunmen from the camp blocked al-Quds road with barriers to demand the release of their comrades from PA jails.
Forces from the preventive security stormed in the afternoon the house of Arziqat in the town and took him to their headquarters in al-Khali city, according to his family.
The PA preventive security and intelligence apparatus had arrested Arziqat and his brother Baraa several times before because of their affiliation with Hamas.
Their father Abdul-Karim Arziqat, a senior Hamas official, died about two years ago.
In a separate incident, one Palestinian young man suffered a bullet injury during armed clashes with PA security forces on Sunday evening in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus city.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the security forces arrested a young man called Mohamed Jum'ah after he suffered a bullet injury in his leg during the events in the camp.
They added that the skirmishes took place after masked gunmen from the camp blocked al-Quds road with barriers to demand the release of their comrades from PA jails.
10 apr 2015
Palestinian youths practice their Parkour skills near a mural said to have been painted by British street artist Banksy.
Gaza police have seized a work by famed street artist Banksy from a man who bought it for $200 from a family that later said it was duped, both sides told AFP.
Bilal Khaled, accused of buying the work painted on a door belonging to the Darduna family without telling them its real value, said Friday that "the police seized it yesterday under a court order."
The now homeless family in the impoverished Islamist-run Palestinian enclave says they were "tricked" into parting with the valuable collector's item.
At the end of February, the artist, who chooses to remain anonymous, released an online video showing three works he painted on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes.
The disputed graffiti shows Greek goddess Niobe weeping on a metal doorway which was all that remained standing of the Darduna family home.
Khaled said it "will be stored at Khan Younis public library until this issue is resolved."
Rabie Darduna confirmed this to AFP, adding that the family "has filed a complaint against Bilal Khaled for fraud and to demand justice in retrieving the graffiti."
Khaled countered: "I'm going to exercise my rights over this graffiti because I have the paperwork to prove that I own it."
The elusive Banksy produced the artwork during a secret visit to Gaza that was blasted in a summer war last year between Israel and the Hamas movement that runs the territory.
It is now the focus of an increasingly bitter dispute between the Dardunas and Khaled.
Rabieh Darduna, 33, earlier told AFP he had been approached by a young man calling himself Bilal Khaled and claiming to be a news agency photographer and journalist.
"He said it was his agency that had painted the graffiti on the door and other doors, and that they now wanted to recover them," Darduna said.
"He gave me 700 shekels ($180, 165 euros) and went off with the door."
Darduna said he later felt cheated for letting the door go for so little when collectors have paid more than a million dollars for a Banksy.
The artist's works were seen as a damning critique of Israel's bombardment of Gaza as it battled Hamas, destroying or damaging more than 100,000 homes and killing nearly 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
Banksy's murals also include a giant cat painted on the last remaining wall of a Gaza home playing with a ball of twisted metal.
The artist's online video about his trip to Gaza was entitled "Make this the year YOU discover a new destination."
Banksy is believed to have started out as a graffiti artist in London, although his identity remains shrouded in mystery.
His murals have been chiseled out of walls and sold for large sums in the past.
See also: (VIDEO) New Banksy Graffiti Appears in Gaza Rubble
Gaza police have seized a work by famed street artist Banksy from a man who bought it for $200 from a family that later said it was duped, both sides told AFP.
Bilal Khaled, accused of buying the work painted on a door belonging to the Darduna family without telling them its real value, said Friday that "the police seized it yesterday under a court order."
The now homeless family in the impoverished Islamist-run Palestinian enclave says they were "tricked" into parting with the valuable collector's item.
At the end of February, the artist, who chooses to remain anonymous, released an online video showing three works he painted on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes.
The disputed graffiti shows Greek goddess Niobe weeping on a metal doorway which was all that remained standing of the Darduna family home.
Khaled said it "will be stored at Khan Younis public library until this issue is resolved."
Rabie Darduna confirmed this to AFP, adding that the family "has filed a complaint against Bilal Khaled for fraud and to demand justice in retrieving the graffiti."
Khaled countered: "I'm going to exercise my rights over this graffiti because I have the paperwork to prove that I own it."
The elusive Banksy produced the artwork during a secret visit to Gaza that was blasted in a summer war last year between Israel and the Hamas movement that runs the territory.
It is now the focus of an increasingly bitter dispute between the Dardunas and Khaled.
Rabieh Darduna, 33, earlier told AFP he had been approached by a young man calling himself Bilal Khaled and claiming to be a news agency photographer and journalist.
"He said it was his agency that had painted the graffiti on the door and other doors, and that they now wanted to recover them," Darduna said.
"He gave me 700 shekels ($180, 165 euros) and went off with the door."
Darduna said he later felt cheated for letting the door go for so little when collectors have paid more than a million dollars for a Banksy.
The artist's works were seen as a damning critique of Israel's bombardment of Gaza as it battled Hamas, destroying or damaging more than 100,000 homes and killing nearly 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
Banksy's murals also include a giant cat painted on the last remaining wall of a Gaza home playing with a ball of twisted metal.
The artist's online video about his trip to Gaza was entitled "Make this the year YOU discover a new destination."
Banksy is believed to have started out as a graffiti artist in London, although his identity remains shrouded in mystery.
His murals have been chiseled out of walls and sold for large sums in the past.
See also: (VIDEO) New Banksy Graffiti Appears in Gaza Rubble
The Palestinian Authority (PA) general intelligence apparatus on Thursday night arrested 30-year-old ex-detainee Taher Nawahdah in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Local sources said the arrest of Nawahdah was part of the PA mass arrest campaign against Hamas members, especially those from the Islamic bloc at West Bank universities.
The PA preventive security apparatus recently had detained him for a while shortly after his release from an Israeli jail.
Nawahdah is the former representative of the Islamic bloc, Hamas's student wing, at the Arab American University in Jenin.
Local sources said the arrest of Nawahdah was part of the PA mass arrest campaign against Hamas members, especially those from the Islamic bloc at West Bank universities.
The PA preventive security apparatus recently had detained him for a while shortly after his release from an Israeli jail.
Nawahdah is the former representative of the Islamic bloc, Hamas's student wing, at the Arab American University in Jenin.
8 apr 2015
A military intelligence detention center belonging to Palestinian security forces in Hebron caught fire, Wednesday, killing one person in detention at the facility.
Palestinian firefighters and civil defense rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire but were unable to do so in time to save the detainee's life.
Director of Hebron Governmental Hospital Walid Zaloom identified Rabi Mahmoud al-Jamal as the fatality.
Head of military intelligence in Hebron, Ibrahim Zawahra, told Ma'an News Agency that an investigation had been launched to determine the causes of the fire.
Military prosecutor Issa Amro, meanwhile, said an autopsy had been ordered to determine the cause of death.
He added that people present at the time of the incident were also being questioned.
Palestinian firefighters and civil defense rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire but were unable to do so in time to save the detainee's life.
Director of Hebron Governmental Hospital Walid Zaloom identified Rabi Mahmoud al-Jamal as the fatality.
Head of military intelligence in Hebron, Ibrahim Zawahra, told Ma'an News Agency that an investigation had been launched to determine the causes of the fire.
Military prosecutor Issa Amro, meanwhile, said an autopsy had been ordered to determine the cause of death.
He added that people present at the time of the incident were also being questioned.
7 apr 2015
Mothers from the Balata refugee camp, near Nablus, gathered Sunday to protest the ongoing detention of their sons by Palestinian security forces.
The protest marked resulting tensions from a security campaign in the camp launched by Palestinian security forces against those who Nablus governor Akram Rajoub identifies as "wanted criminals".
The clampdown began at the start of February, which Rajoub said at the time would continue until 18 wanted criminals were detained, according to Ma'an News Agency.
Seven of the wanted suspects turned themselves in to the police in mid-February, following a meeting between Prime Minister Hamdallah and representatives of political parties in Balata refugee camp, and several others have been detained.
According to an agreement sponsored by Hamdallah and Rajoub, those arrested but not proven guilty of any breaches of the law should have been released, locals have stated during past protests.
Some residents in the camp have accused Palestinian security forces of detaining individuals wanted by Israel and have demanded an end to security coordination between the Palestinian and Israeli security forces.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to end this coordination, but has, so far, abstained from doing so.
March witnessed near daily clashes between PA security forces and gunmen and youths from the camp, according to locals. During one incident, two children sustained gunshot injuries during an exchange of fire between gunman in the camp and Palestinian security officers.
The most populated refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Balata houses an estimated 23,000 on less than a kilometer of land.
The densely populated camp has historically shown high levels of unemployment, overcrowded classrooms, and lack of basic services such as access to clean water and effective sewage systems, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East.
The cramped environment of the camp makes it difficult for security forces to enter covertly, and the entry of Palestinian security or Israeli forces into the camp often results in violent clashes.
Balata refugee camp was established by the United Nations, in 1950, to provide housing and services to refugees resulting from the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, causing more than 700,000 Palestinians to flee their homes.
Palestinians now make up the largest refugee group in the entire world, according to UN statistics.
The protest marked resulting tensions from a security campaign in the camp launched by Palestinian security forces against those who Nablus governor Akram Rajoub identifies as "wanted criminals".
The clampdown began at the start of February, which Rajoub said at the time would continue until 18 wanted criminals were detained, according to Ma'an News Agency.
Seven of the wanted suspects turned themselves in to the police in mid-February, following a meeting between Prime Minister Hamdallah and representatives of political parties in Balata refugee camp, and several others have been detained.
According to an agreement sponsored by Hamdallah and Rajoub, those arrested but not proven guilty of any breaches of the law should have been released, locals have stated during past protests.
Some residents in the camp have accused Palestinian security forces of detaining individuals wanted by Israel and have demanded an end to security coordination between the Palestinian and Israeli security forces.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to end this coordination, but has, so far, abstained from doing so.
March witnessed near daily clashes between PA security forces and gunmen and youths from the camp, according to locals. During one incident, two children sustained gunshot injuries during an exchange of fire between gunman in the camp and Palestinian security officers.
The most populated refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Balata houses an estimated 23,000 on less than a kilometer of land.
The densely populated camp has historically shown high levels of unemployment, overcrowded classrooms, and lack of basic services such as access to clean water and effective sewage systems, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East.
The cramped environment of the camp makes it difficult for security forces to enter covertly, and the entry of Palestinian security or Israeli forces into the camp often results in violent clashes.
Balata refugee camp was established by the United Nations, in 1950, to provide housing and services to refugees resulting from the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, causing more than 700,000 Palestinians to flee their homes.
Palestinians now make up the largest refugee group in the entire world, according to UN statistics.
4 apr 2015
The health condition of captive Amjad Qezaz, who is held at Palestinian Authority (PA) jails, has been worsening. Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, disclosed that Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) arrested fourteen citizens in the last 48 hours.
Exclusive sources told the PIC reporter that captive Qezaz who is an ex-detainee at Israeli jails was kidnapped by PASF a few days ago.
He was brought to a show trial in which his detention was renewed to extra eight days despite the deterioration of his health condition.
He is suffering pains and health problems resulting from being tortured in previous arrests in addition to problems in his backbone.
The sources added that prisoner Qezaz previously spent several months at PA jails in al-Khalil. Besides, he spent more than five years in Israeli prisons.
He is now languishing in the prisons of PA Preventive Security Forces in Al-Khalil on fabricated charges and false pretenses, the sources underlined.
In the same context, Hamas revealed that the PASF rounded up fourteen citizens during the last 48 hours including journalists, university students, and ex-detainees who were held captives in Israeli jails.
Hamas said, in a statement on Saturday, that the PASF continued its violations of the public rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank.
In addition to political arrests, the PASF summoned one ex-detainee, continued holding six captives, and brought five others to courts, the statement mentioned.
According to Hamas statement, the PA forces assaulted a journalist in Ramallah. Three citizens were arrested in Tulkarem, four university students in al-Khalil, and four young men in Jenin.
In Qalqilya, the PA courts adjourned the trials of a number of political detainees to April 28, despite the fact that they have been arrested for about three months. The PA also continued holding an ex-detainee as well as an elderly from Jenin.
The PA intelligence in Qalqilya summoned a university student, who is also an ex-detainee, while the PASF continued detaining the ex-detainee and human rights activist Ramez Abu Salha for more than a month.
Exclusive sources told the PIC reporter that captive Qezaz who is an ex-detainee at Israeli jails was kidnapped by PASF a few days ago.
He was brought to a show trial in which his detention was renewed to extra eight days despite the deterioration of his health condition.
He is suffering pains and health problems resulting from being tortured in previous arrests in addition to problems in his backbone.
The sources added that prisoner Qezaz previously spent several months at PA jails in al-Khalil. Besides, he spent more than five years in Israeli prisons.
He is now languishing in the prisons of PA Preventive Security Forces in Al-Khalil on fabricated charges and false pretenses, the sources underlined.
In the same context, Hamas revealed that the PASF rounded up fourteen citizens during the last 48 hours including journalists, university students, and ex-detainees who were held captives in Israeli jails.
Hamas said, in a statement on Saturday, that the PASF continued its violations of the public rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank.
In addition to political arrests, the PASF summoned one ex-detainee, continued holding six captives, and brought five others to courts, the statement mentioned.
According to Hamas statement, the PA forces assaulted a journalist in Ramallah. Three citizens were arrested in Tulkarem, four university students in al-Khalil, and four young men in Jenin.
In Qalqilya, the PA courts adjourned the trials of a number of political detainees to April 28, despite the fact that they have been arrested for about three months. The PA also continued holding an ex-detainee as well as an elderly from Jenin.
The PA intelligence in Qalqilya summoned a university student, who is also an ex-detainee, while the PASF continued detaining the ex-detainee and human rights activist Ramez Abu Salha for more than a month.
31 mar 2015
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed at noon Tuesday the house of MP Mohammad Abu Juhaishe, member of the Change and Reform Bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), in Ithna town in al-Khalil.
MP Abu Juhaishe told the PIC reporter the IOF soldiers in several military jeeps stormed his house and office at noon and started provocatively questioning him inside his house for more than an hour.
He added the soldiers stayed more than two hours surrounding his house; they stopped the passersby and questioned them on the field. Then, they handed his nephew a summons to be questioned by the Israeli intelligence in Etzion.
The PLC deputy, meanwhile, noted that the PA intelligence had released his elder son, Muath, from custody on Monday night after eight month imprisonment.
He opined that the IOF raid into his house is a continuation of the mutual role of the IOF and the PA against him and his sons whom all were subjected to arrests for tens of times.
MP Abu Juhaishe told the PIC reporter the IOF soldiers in several military jeeps stormed his house and office at noon and started provocatively questioning him inside his house for more than an hour.
He added the soldiers stayed more than two hours surrounding his house; they stopped the passersby and questioned them on the field. Then, they handed his nephew a summons to be questioned by the Israeli intelligence in Etzion.
The PLC deputy, meanwhile, noted that the PA intelligence had released his elder son, Muath, from custody on Monday night after eight month imprisonment.
He opined that the IOF raid into his house is a continuation of the mutual role of the IOF and the PA against him and his sons whom all were subjected to arrests for tens of times.
27 mar 2015
An ex-prisoner and his wife were rushed to al-Ahli hospital in al-Khalil to be treated for wounds sustained after they were heavily beaten up by the Palestinian Authority (PA) Preventive Forces on Thursday evening.
The father of the wife explained on his Facebook page that a civilian car stopped outside the house of his son-in-law Muayed Attit at eight o'clock in the evening before two PA preventive officers attacked him and attempted to kidnap him.
The wife, Maisoun Shobaki, thought that the assailants were special Israeli forces or thieves and was also physically assaulted as she was trying to defend her husband.
Both Muayed and his pregnant wife sustained injuries and bruises in the attack. The attackers fled, leaving the injured citizens in the street until a crowd of people showed up and transferred them to the hospital.
Muayed Attit is an ex-prisoner and a holder of a BA in business administration.
The father of the wife explained on his Facebook page that a civilian car stopped outside the house of his son-in-law Muayed Attit at eight o'clock in the evening before two PA preventive officers attacked him and attempted to kidnap him.
The wife, Maisoun Shobaki, thought that the assailants were special Israeli forces or thieves and was also physically assaulted as she was trying to defend her husband.
Both Muayed and his pregnant wife sustained injuries and bruises in the attack. The attackers fled, leaving the injured citizens in the street until a crowd of people showed up and transferred them to the hospital.
Muayed Attit is an ex-prisoner and a holder of a BA in business administration.
24 mar 2015
Palestinian Authority (PA) intelligence apparatus arrested at dawn Tuesday Muath Abu Juhaisha, the son of MP Mohamed Abu Juhaisha, after beating him up.
The MP told the PIC reporter that five military vehicles escorted by a PA ambulance stormed Muath's house in Ithna town, west of Al-Khalil, and arrested him after beating him up brutally in front of his wife and children.
Abu Juhaisha clarified that his son was in Israeli Ofer court to attend one of his court hearings on Monday, as he was released from Israeli custody on bail two months ago and when he arrived home after Maghrib (sunset) prayer he was surprised with the PA security forces coming to arrest him.
The sons of Abu Juhaisha were targeted by PA security apparatuses several times before. For his part, the MP was detained nine times in the Israeli jails and was released only five months ago.
In a related context, PA intelligence agents nabbed Hamas leader Ismael al-Nattah from Ithna town.
Reliable sources told the PIC reporter that PA intelligence agents stormed al-Nattah's house and nabbed him on Tuesday morning.
The Hamas leader is an ex-detainee in PA and Israeli jails and a tribal and political leader in Ithna town.
The MP told the PIC reporter that five military vehicles escorted by a PA ambulance stormed Muath's house in Ithna town, west of Al-Khalil, and arrested him after beating him up brutally in front of his wife and children.
Abu Juhaisha clarified that his son was in Israeli Ofer court to attend one of his court hearings on Monday, as he was released from Israeli custody on bail two months ago and when he arrived home after Maghrib (sunset) prayer he was surprised with the PA security forces coming to arrest him.
The sons of Abu Juhaisha were targeted by PA security apparatuses several times before. For his part, the MP was detained nine times in the Israeli jails and was released only five months ago.
In a related context, PA intelligence agents nabbed Hamas leader Ismael al-Nattah from Ithna town.
Reliable sources told the PIC reporter that PA intelligence agents stormed al-Nattah's house and nabbed him on Tuesday morning.
The Hamas leader is an ex-detainee in PA and Israeli jails and a tribal and political leader in Ithna town.
23 mar 2015
Palestinian journalist Osaid Amarneh has been on hunger strike for eight days running in protest at his arbitrary detention in the prison of the Palestinian Authority (PA) preventive security apparatus in Bethlehem city.
Sources related to the family of the prisoner told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that Amarneh started his hunger strike about one week ago after the PA preventive security managed to extend his detention for the second time without leveling charges based on evidence or legal arguments.
According to the informed sources, the lawyer of Amarneh tried more than once to have him released on bail, but the preventive security was always fabricating charges without evidence to convince the judge to decline his release.
For its part, the family of the prisoner said that Amarneh was arrested as a result of his work for the Aqsa satellite channel and for political reasons, and appealed to the Palestinian syndicate of journalists and human rights groups to intervene to have him released.
The preventive security apparatus had arrested Amarneh in last February upon his arrival at its headquarters in Bethlehem after he received a summons for interrogation.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms-Mada, in turn, strongly denounced the PA preventive security apparatus for detaining journalist Osaid Amarneh without indictment and demanded his immediate release.
Mada stated in a press release on Monday that a request submitted for the fourth consecutive time for the release of Amarneh was rejected by a PA court, although the preventive security failed to file an indictment against him.
Sources related to the family of the prisoner told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that Amarneh started his hunger strike about one week ago after the PA preventive security managed to extend his detention for the second time without leveling charges based on evidence or legal arguments.
According to the informed sources, the lawyer of Amarneh tried more than once to have him released on bail, but the preventive security was always fabricating charges without evidence to convince the judge to decline his release.
For its part, the family of the prisoner said that Amarneh was arrested as a result of his work for the Aqsa satellite channel and for political reasons, and appealed to the Palestinian syndicate of journalists and human rights groups to intervene to have him released.
The preventive security apparatus had arrested Amarneh in last February upon his arrival at its headquarters in Bethlehem after he received a summons for interrogation.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms-Mada, in turn, strongly denounced the PA preventive security apparatus for detaining journalist Osaid Amarneh without indictment and demanded his immediate release.
Mada stated in a press release on Monday that a request submitted for the fourth consecutive time for the release of Amarneh was rejected by a PA court, although the preventive security failed to file an indictment against him.
21 mar 2015
Relatives of Political Prisoners Committee in the West Bank held the Palestinian unity government fully responsible over the continued political detention of dozens of Palestinians in very difficult detention conditions.
The committee’s remarks came as reports said that political detainees are subjected to torture and very poor treatment during their detention in PA jails.
The committee pointed out that the political prisoner Hussam Shamasneh, from Qatana town, had undergone a surgery few days after his release from PA jails as he was given inappropriate drugs while in custody, causing him serious stomach infection and inflammation.
The political detainee’s family said that he was released after spending more than 50 days in PA jails amid very poor detention conditions, suffering from sharp back pains. He was given wrong medicines causing him serious health implications, the family added.
The committee called on human rights groups to immediately intervene to put an end to such violations carried out against political detainees at the hands of PA security officials.
The committee’s remarks came as reports said that political detainees are subjected to torture and very poor treatment during their detention in PA jails.
The committee pointed out that the political prisoner Hussam Shamasneh, from Qatana town, had undergone a surgery few days after his release from PA jails as he was given inappropriate drugs while in custody, causing him serious stomach infection and inflammation.
The political detainee’s family said that he was released after spending more than 50 days in PA jails amid very poor detention conditions, suffering from sharp back pains. He was given wrong medicines causing him serious health implications, the family added.
The committee called on human rights groups to immediately intervene to put an end to such violations carried out against political detainees at the hands of PA security officials.
