15 july 2015
Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, issued a statistical data on the numbers of political detainees in the West Bank since the beginning of Ramadan month until July 14.
In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas said the numbers of political detainees in the Palestinian Authority's (PA) jails mounted to 261 captives since the beginning of Ramadan month.
16 out of 261 prisoners were arrested before July 2nd. The remaining 245 were detained during the arrest campaign which started on the second of July.
The scores included 42 university students; 33 of them remained imprisoned. Only 59 out of the 261 political captives were released.
Hamas’s statement pointed out that the hunger strikers in PA’s prisons reached 13 political captives whereas the strikers among detainees of the latest arrest campaign are 10 prisoners.
In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas said the numbers of political detainees in the Palestinian Authority's (PA) jails mounted to 261 captives since the beginning of Ramadan month.
16 out of 261 prisoners were arrested before July 2nd. The remaining 245 were detained during the arrest campaign which started on the second of July.
The scores included 42 university students; 33 of them remained imprisoned. Only 59 out of the 261 political captives were released.
Hamas’s statement pointed out that the hunger strikers in PA’s prisons reached 13 political captives whereas the strikers among detainees of the latest arrest campaign are 10 prisoners.
Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haneyya has warned that the political arrest campaign being carried out by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank will torpedo all efforts to heal the internal rift and create a national unity government.
In press remarks on Tuesday, Haneyya said that the PA's arrest campaign, which he described as part of its nationally reprehensible security collaboration with the Israeli occupation, is an attempt by president Mahmoud Abbas and senior PA officials to shirk their obligations under the national reconciliation agreement.
He called on all political factions to take a clear national position against such practices, which "tamper with the national cause and negatively impact the social and national fabrics."
The Hamas official stressed that his Movement, its cadres and resistance fighters have one obvious direction and their weapon is only used against the occupation despite their exposure to ongoing injustice and suppression at the hands of the PA security forces.
He added that the Palestinians in the West Bank have a natural right to resist the occupation and their resistance would not stop until they restored their national rights.
In press remarks on Tuesday, Haneyya said that the PA's arrest campaign, which he described as part of its nationally reprehensible security collaboration with the Israeli occupation, is an attempt by president Mahmoud Abbas and senior PA officials to shirk their obligations under the national reconciliation agreement.
He called on all political factions to take a clear national position against such practices, which "tamper with the national cause and negatively impact the social and national fabrics."
The Hamas official stressed that his Movement, its cadres and resistance fighters have one obvious direction and their weapon is only used against the occupation despite their exposure to ongoing injustice and suppression at the hands of the PA security forces.
He added that the Palestinians in the West Bank have a natural right to resist the occupation and their resistance would not stop until they restored their national rights.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses have transferred three political detainees to hospitals after they suffered health problems.
In Ramallah, prisoners Ayham Jarab'ah and Mohamed al-Aruri were taken recently to hospital twice as a result of their exposure to maltreatment at the hands of PA interrogators, according to their relatives.
The PA security forces also transferred prisoner Muayed Sharab, a resident of Awarta town in Nablus, from Ariha jail to Nablus hospital after he suffered a heart problem.
His family said that Sharab had been on hunger strike during his presence in Ariha jail.
In Ramallah, prisoners Ayham Jarab'ah and Mohamed al-Aruri were taken recently to hospital twice as a result of their exposure to maltreatment at the hands of PA interrogators, according to their relatives.
The PA security forces also transferred prisoner Muayed Sharab, a resident of Awarta town in Nablus, from Ariha jail to Nablus hospital after he suffered a heart problem.
His family said that Sharab had been on hunger strike during his presence in Ariha jail.
10 july 2015
At least 242 Palestinian citizens were detained by the Palestinian Authority (PA) devices across the West Bank, committee of the families of political detainees’ said, raising concerns over the striking upsurge in abductions of Palestinians on account of their political positions.
The political prisoners’ families committee raised, in a press statement, alarm bells over the unprecedented increase in the number of political detainees during holy Ramadan month.
Al-Khalil has hit a record high of 56 arrestees, followed by 36 in Nablus, 27 in Tulkarem, 25 in Bethlehem, 22 in Ramallah and al-Bireh, and 16 in Salfit.
The PA forces also detained 15 Palestinians from Tubas, 12 from Jenin, nine from Qalqilya, six from Jericho, and five others from Occupied Jerusalem.
The newly detained batch includes 37 university students. 12 of those kidnapped in the campaign have gone on hunger-strikes, joining two hunger-striking detainees held in PA custody.
Three prisoners have reportedly been subjected to torture at the PA lock-ups.
The committee further kept record of interrogation summonses issued against three women from al-Souwi family.
The political prisoners’ families committee raised, in a press statement, alarm bells over the unprecedented increase in the number of political detainees during holy Ramadan month.
Al-Khalil has hit a record high of 56 arrestees, followed by 36 in Nablus, 27 in Tulkarem, 25 in Bethlehem, 22 in Ramallah and al-Bireh, and 16 in Salfit.
The PA forces also detained 15 Palestinians from Tubas, 12 from Jenin, nine from Qalqilya, six from Jericho, and five others from Occupied Jerusalem.
The newly detained batch includes 37 university students. 12 of those kidnapped in the campaign have gone on hunger-strikes, joining two hunger-striking detainees held in PA custody.
Three prisoners have reportedly been subjected to torture at the PA lock-ups.
The committee further kept record of interrogation summonses issued against three women from al-Souwi family.
8 july 2015
Member of Hamas's political bureau Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk slammed the Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses for arresting hundreds of Palestinians who stand against the policies aimed at destroying the Palestinian people and their cause.
He described these campaigns as free service to the Israeli occupation.
Abu Marzouk in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday called on the PA to stop what he called "tampering with the future of the Palestinian people and their national causes".
He also urged the Palestinian factions, the political parties, and the various civil society organizations to stand against this destructive policy.
"Some PA officials in the West Bank justified these arrests as means to bring calm and stability to the area, but the truth is that these arrests help Israel carry out its policies and schemes and that is what happened in the West Bank but did not succeed in Gaza," Abu Marzouk said.
The Hamas leader underlined: "Imposing security in order to bring calm and stability under the Israeli occupation means that the PA approves Judaizing Jerusalem and the West Bank, confiscating the Palestinians' lands, and demolishing their homes."
He described these campaigns as free service to the Israeli occupation.
Abu Marzouk in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday called on the PA to stop what he called "tampering with the future of the Palestinian people and their national causes".
He also urged the Palestinian factions, the political parties, and the various civil society organizations to stand against this destructive policy.
"Some PA officials in the West Bank justified these arrests as means to bring calm and stability to the area, but the truth is that these arrests help Israel carry out its policies and schemes and that is what happened in the West Bank but did not succeed in Gaza," Abu Marzouk said.
The Hamas leader underlined: "Imposing security in order to bring calm and stability under the Israeli occupation means that the PA approves Judaizing Jerusalem and the West Bank, confiscating the Palestinians' lands, and demolishing their homes."
7 july 2015
Palestinian lawmaker Hasan Yousuf has condemned the Palestinian Authority (PA) for rumoring that an armed cell affiliated with Hamas intends to target it and described its claim as a desperate attempt to justify its recent mass arrests in the West Bank.
In a press release on Monday, MP Yousuf, a senior Hamas official, said that the PA arrest campaign is politically-motivated and an immediate response to an Israeli request in this regard.
"What has been rumored that Hamas wants to create chaos and instability in the West Bank is contrary to the truth. The atmosphere [in the West Bank] has become strained and poisoned because of the political arrests taking place on grounds of resisting the occupation," the lawmaker underscored.
He urged Hamas members and supporters to continue staging peaceful sit-ins in protest at the recent political arrest campaign, which has been waged by the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank and led to the detention of over 170 citizens.
In a press release on Monday, MP Yousuf, a senior Hamas official, said that the PA arrest campaign is politically-motivated and an immediate response to an Israeli request in this regard.
"What has been rumored that Hamas wants to create chaos and instability in the West Bank is contrary to the truth. The atmosphere [in the West Bank] has become strained and poisoned because of the political arrests taking place on grounds of resisting the occupation," the lawmaker underscored.
He urged Hamas members and supporters to continue staging peaceful sit-ins in protest at the recent political arrest campaign, which has been waged by the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank and led to the detention of over 170 citizens.
The Hamas Movement has strongly denounced Nablus governor Akram al-Rajoub for making serious threats against its cadres in the West Bank.
In a press release on Monday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the recent threats made by Rajoub against the Movement proved that Fatah seeks to dispose of its political rivals in the West Bank in order to serve Israel's security needs.
Abu Zuhri also warned Fatah of its persistence in pursuing its elimination approach against others, which exposes its collaboration with the Israeli occupation against its own people.
Governor Rajoub had threatened that all Hamas members would be targets for the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses if any harm happened to its personnel in the West Bank.
The Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority has launched recently a ferocious mass arrest campaign against Hamas cadres and supporters in different West Bank areas and jailed scores of them.
Its security forces also suppressed many protests condemning its arrest campaign in the West Bank.
In a press release on Monday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the recent threats made by Rajoub against the Movement proved that Fatah seeks to dispose of its political rivals in the West Bank in order to serve Israel's security needs.
Abu Zuhri also warned Fatah of its persistence in pursuing its elimination approach against others, which exposes its collaboration with the Israeli occupation against its own people.
Governor Rajoub had threatened that all Hamas members would be targets for the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses if any harm happened to its personnel in the West Bank.
The Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority has launched recently a ferocious mass arrest campaign against Hamas cadres and supporters in different West Bank areas and jailed scores of them.
Its security forces also suppressed many protests condemning its arrest campaign in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) nabbed eight Hamas affiliates and summoned six others for interrogation in an arbitrary mass-abduction campaign rocking cities of the West Bank for the fourth day running.
The arrests and summonses come just a few days after members of the political prisoners’ families announced their decision to join the hunger strikes initiated by their detained sons and relatives in protest at arbitrary arrests and mistreatment at the PA lock-ups.
The PA general intelligence service in Nablus kidnapped the student Anas Radad on his way back home from university.
Family of the political detainee Reyad al-Nadi held the PA Preventive Forces responsible for the life of their detained son. The latter has been diagnosed with critical cardiovascular disorders due to the torture he has been subjected to at the PA penitentiaries.
Salfit-based sources said the PA intelligence apparatuses nabbed the ex-prisoner Saa’d Youssef Mer’I, 27 and extended the remand of two detainees to 15 days.
Political detainees Ahmad Rasmi al-Khuffash and Adel Shahada have been on a hunger-strike for the fifth day running.
Three Palestinian ex-detainees were, meanwhile, arrested by the PA apparatuses in Bethlehem.
The PA Preventive Forces in Bethlehem extended the detention of the ex-prisoner Ja’far al-Arouj for 10 days.
Prisoner Nader Jabran announced his decision to go on an open ended hunger strike despite the chronic diseases he has been diagnosed with.
The PA forces in Ramallah aggressively attacked three Palestinians and summoned them for interrogation as they joined a peaceful rally staged in protest at arbitrary political arrests.
The PA court in Ramallah extended the remand of hunger-striking Islam Saleh to 15 days.
The Ramallah Preventive Security Forces summoned the ex-prisoner Ayman Abu Eid for interrogation after they stormed his family home in Bado village.
Three more Palestinians were rounded up by the PA apparatuses in al-Khalil during a non-violent march staged by the detainees’ families.
The Preventive Forces in al-Khalil also summoned two citizens for interrogation.
The arrests and summonses come just a few days after members of the political prisoners’ families announced their decision to join the hunger strikes initiated by their detained sons and relatives in protest at arbitrary arrests and mistreatment at the PA lock-ups.
The PA general intelligence service in Nablus kidnapped the student Anas Radad on his way back home from university.
Family of the political detainee Reyad al-Nadi held the PA Preventive Forces responsible for the life of their detained son. The latter has been diagnosed with critical cardiovascular disorders due to the torture he has been subjected to at the PA penitentiaries.
Salfit-based sources said the PA intelligence apparatuses nabbed the ex-prisoner Saa’d Youssef Mer’I, 27 and extended the remand of two detainees to 15 days.
Political detainees Ahmad Rasmi al-Khuffash and Adel Shahada have been on a hunger-strike for the fifth day running.
Three Palestinian ex-detainees were, meanwhile, arrested by the PA apparatuses in Bethlehem.
The PA Preventive Forces in Bethlehem extended the detention of the ex-prisoner Ja’far al-Arouj for 10 days.
Prisoner Nader Jabran announced his decision to go on an open ended hunger strike despite the chronic diseases he has been diagnosed with.
The PA forces in Ramallah aggressively attacked three Palestinians and summoned them for interrogation as they joined a peaceful rally staged in protest at arbitrary political arrests.
The PA court in Ramallah extended the remand of hunger-striking Islam Saleh to 15 days.
The Ramallah Preventive Security Forces summoned the ex-prisoner Ayman Abu Eid for interrogation after they stormed his family home in Bado village.
Three more Palestinians were rounded up by the PA apparatuses in al-Khalil during a non-violent march staged by the detainees’ families.
The Preventive Forces in al-Khalil also summoned two citizens for interrogation.
6 july 2015
Hamas Movement strongly denounced on Monday the Palestinian Authority’s security militias for attacking a Palestinian family after breaking into their home in Qalqilia and summoning four Palestinian women.
The Movement described the PA security forces' attack as a moral decline that never happened before in the history of Palestine and a serious violation that crossed all red lines and social norms.
The statement called on Palestinian national forces and institutions to stand firmly against such attacks and to work to put an end to the PA forces’ political arrests and summonses.
The PA preventive security apparatus on Sunday summoned four Palestinian ladies from the same family for interrogation after they broke into their homes in the West Bank province of Qalqilya.
The statement pointed out that a masked and heavily-armed PA force, escorted by sniper dogs, stormed al-Souwi family home at noontime and carried out intensive searches, moments before they kidnapped their son Ibrahim Abd al-Rahim Souwi and his nephew Arbakan Tabasiyeh.
The Movement described the PA security forces' attack as a moral decline that never happened before in the history of Palestine and a serious violation that crossed all red lines and social norms.
The statement called on Palestinian national forces and institutions to stand firmly against such attacks and to work to put an end to the PA forces’ political arrests and summonses.
The PA preventive security apparatus on Sunday summoned four Palestinian ladies from the same family for interrogation after they broke into their homes in the West Bank province of Qalqilya.
The statement pointed out that a masked and heavily-armed PA force, escorted by sniper dogs, stormed al-Souwi family home at noontime and carried out intensive searches, moments before they kidnapped their son Ibrahim Abd al-Rahim Souwi and his nephew Arbakan Tabasiyeh.
PA security forces arrest 170 Hamas men in connection with shooting attacks against Israelis, raising the wrath of Gaza's ruling faction.
The Palestinian Authority has arrested 170 Hamas men in the West Bank over the past few days, a Palestinian security source told Ynet on Monday, leading to threats from the Gaza terror organization.
The Palestinian source said the arrests were done in connection with the series of shooting attacks against Israelis in the Binyamin area over the past two weeks that claimed the lives of Malachi Rosenfeld and Danny Gonen. According to the source, there is evidence pointing to Hamas being behind the series of attacks, which also included a shooting at a Maden David Adom ambulance that ended with no casualties.
The arrests were made in three waves. In the first and biggest raid, 108 Hamas men were arrested in one night, some of them are former prisoners released from Israeli and PA jails. The PA security forces' spokesman, Adnan al-Damiri, said Hamas was trying to undermine the security situation in the West Bank, adding that the Gaza rulers were doing so while holding indirect contacts with Israel to secure a long-term ceasefire in the Strip.
Hamas condemned the wave of arrests, and Hamas official Ismail al-Ashqar threatened that if the PA continues these arrests, Palestinian security forces will become a target to the "Palestinian resistance" in the West Bank.
Other Hamas officials said the security forces in the West Bank were operating as part of a plan to eliminate Hamas in the West Bank, a plan they said serves Israel. "If Hamas tries to test our patience and commit a terror attack that affects Palestinian security - the organization will meet with a response it cannot imagine,"
Fatah said in response. Nablus governor Akram Rajoub, who used to be a senior official in the Palestinian security forces, said that any attack against the PA will turn all of Hamas' men in the West Bank to a target.
Despite the mutual threats, the Palestinian security source said Hamas would not dare execute an attack against the PA security forces, but did not rule out the possibility Hamas men could open fire at PA security when they come to arrest them.
The Palestinian Authority has arrested 170 Hamas men in the West Bank over the past few days, a Palestinian security source told Ynet on Monday, leading to threats from the Gaza terror organization.
The Palestinian source said the arrests were done in connection with the series of shooting attacks against Israelis in the Binyamin area over the past two weeks that claimed the lives of Malachi Rosenfeld and Danny Gonen. According to the source, there is evidence pointing to Hamas being behind the series of attacks, which also included a shooting at a Maden David Adom ambulance that ended with no casualties.
The arrests were made in three waves. In the first and biggest raid, 108 Hamas men were arrested in one night, some of them are former prisoners released from Israeli and PA jails. The PA security forces' spokesman, Adnan al-Damiri, said Hamas was trying to undermine the security situation in the West Bank, adding that the Gaza rulers were doing so while holding indirect contacts with Israel to secure a long-term ceasefire in the Strip.
Hamas condemned the wave of arrests, and Hamas official Ismail al-Ashqar threatened that if the PA continues these arrests, Palestinian security forces will become a target to the "Palestinian resistance" in the West Bank.
Other Hamas officials said the security forces in the West Bank were operating as part of a plan to eliminate Hamas in the West Bank, a plan they said serves Israel. "If Hamas tries to test our patience and commit a terror attack that affects Palestinian security - the organization will meet with a response it cannot imagine,"
Fatah said in response. Nablus governor Akram Rajoub, who used to be a senior official in the Palestinian security forces, said that any attack against the PA will turn all of Hamas' men in the West Bank to a target.
Despite the mutual threats, the Palestinian security source said Hamas would not dare execute an attack against the PA security forces, but did not rule out the possibility Hamas men could open fire at PA security when they come to arrest them.
The Palestinian interior ministry in Gaza categorically denied it had launched an arrest campaign against Fatah members.
Spokesman for the ministry Iyad al-Bazam described the accusations that had been made by Fatah faction about arresting its cadres in Gaza as lies and an attempt to bend the truth.
"These accusations are aimed at covering up the crime of political arrests that is happening in the West Bank," the spokesman added.
The Palestinian Authority security apparatuses have arrested recently about 200 citizens affiliated with Hamas in the West Bank.
Spokesman for the ministry Iyad al-Bazam described the accusations that had been made by Fatah faction about arresting its cadres in Gaza as lies and an attempt to bend the truth.
"These accusations are aimed at covering up the crime of political arrests that is happening in the West Bank," the spokesman added.
The Palestinian Authority security apparatuses have arrested recently about 200 citizens affiliated with Hamas in the West Bank.
A number of women fell over after the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces aggressively quelled two peaceful rallies staged in the West Bank provinces of Ramallah and al-Khalil in protest at the PA’s arbitrary political arrests.
Scores of women who joined a march staged in the Manara Square, in Ramallah, sustained injuries as the PA forces attacked the rally.
The mothers, wives, sisters, and children of political prisoners, who have been recently abducted by the PA apparatuses, had joined a non-violent march and chanted slogans condemning political arrests and calling for releasing their detained relatives.
The PA security forces cordoned off the rally-goers and attacked them with batons, resulting in temporary blackouts among the ladies.
The mother of the political detainee Islam Dar Moussa was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment.
Over recent days the West Bank PA apparatuses nabbed some 140 Palestinian citizens and activists on account of their political affiliation and involvement in anti-occupation campaigns.
The situation has been no less tense in al-Khalil city as the PA forces have come down heavily on a number of rally goers gathering after the Tarawih prayers in a non-violent march against political arrests.
A number of demonstrators choked on tear gas and others sustained bruises and wounds after they were heavily beaten by the PA forces.
Scores of women who joined a march staged in the Manara Square, in Ramallah, sustained injuries as the PA forces attacked the rally.
The mothers, wives, sisters, and children of political prisoners, who have been recently abducted by the PA apparatuses, had joined a non-violent march and chanted slogans condemning political arrests and calling for releasing their detained relatives.
The PA security forces cordoned off the rally-goers and attacked them with batons, resulting in temporary blackouts among the ladies.
The mother of the political detainee Islam Dar Moussa was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment.
Over recent days the West Bank PA apparatuses nabbed some 140 Palestinian citizens and activists on account of their political affiliation and involvement in anti-occupation campaigns.
The situation has been no less tense in al-Khalil city as the PA forces have come down heavily on a number of rally goers gathering after the Tarawih prayers in a non-violent march against political arrests.
A number of demonstrators choked on tear gas and others sustained bruises and wounds after they were heavily beaten by the PA forces.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) preventive security apparatus on Sunday summoned four Palestinian ladies from the same family for interrogation after they broke into their homes in the West Bank province of Qalqilya.
The four ladies were identified as members of the family of the deceased al-Qassam member Saleh Abdel Rahim al-Souwi.
A PIC correspondent quoted al-Souwi’s family as stating that a masked and heavily-armed PA force, escorted by sniper dogs, stormed the family home at noontime and carried out intensive searches, moments before they kidnapped their son Ibrahim Abd al-Rahim Souwi and his nephew Arbakan Tabasiyeh.
The PA forces summoned four ladies from al-Souwi family to appear before the Qalqilya-headquartered PA apparatus at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Two members of the Souwi family, Saleh and Hussein Souwi Nazal, lost their lives in anti-occupation activities.
The four ladies were identified as members of the family of the deceased al-Qassam member Saleh Abdel Rahim al-Souwi.
A PIC correspondent quoted al-Souwi’s family as stating that a masked and heavily-armed PA force, escorted by sniper dogs, stormed the family home at noontime and carried out intensive searches, moments before they kidnapped their son Ibrahim Abd al-Rahim Souwi and his nephew Arbakan Tabasiyeh.
The PA forces summoned four ladies from al-Souwi family to appear before the Qalqilya-headquartered PA apparatus at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Two members of the Souwi family, Saleh and Hussein Souwi Nazal, lost their lives in anti-occupation activities.
5 july 2015
Political analyst Mustafa Shannar said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced a unilateral divorce from the reconciliation agreement with its Palestinian rivals when it decided to launch its recent political arrest campaign in the West Bank
Shannar, who works as a lecturer at an-Najah University, expressed his belief that the PA's decision to make a cabinet reshuffle without consulting with its partners and its concurrent political arrest campaign against Hamas cadres in the West Bank sent an unequivocal message to all parties inside and outside Palestine about its withdrawal from the unity government.
He added in press remarks yesterday that the PA political arrests were intended in particular to market the new government that was tailored by Abbas away from Hamas and the other resistance factions.
"This unexpected arrest campaign are surely happening at the highest level of security coordination with the Israeli side by virtue of the temporal and spatial conditions in which it has occurred and because the Palestinian Authority cannot work in such circumstances without collaboration with the occupation authorities and their security apparatuses," he highlighted.
Shannar, who works as a lecturer at an-Najah University, expressed his belief that the PA's decision to make a cabinet reshuffle without consulting with its partners and its concurrent political arrest campaign against Hamas cadres in the West Bank sent an unequivocal message to all parties inside and outside Palestine about its withdrawal from the unity government.
He added in press remarks yesterday that the PA political arrests were intended in particular to market the new government that was tailored by Abbas away from Hamas and the other resistance factions.
"This unexpected arrest campaign are surely happening at the highest level of security coordination with the Israeli side by virtue of the temporal and spatial conditions in which it has occurred and because the Palestinian Authority cannot work in such circumstances without collaboration with the occupation authorities and their security apparatuses," he highlighted.
4 july 2015
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri today called on Palestinian Authorities President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdella to immediately release the members of Hamas arrested by the PA in the West Bank. He reiterated that these arrests would have serious repercussions and consequences if they continued.
Abu Zahri stated during a conference held today in Gaza city by Palestinian factions that Hamas rejected the political arrests of its members in the West Bank. He said that Hamas was seeing unprecedented arrests in terms of semantics and variety, as now more than 100 members have been detained- the majority of whom are political and academic elites.
He indicated that the arrests carried out by PA police came in the context of a collaboration between the police of the West Bank and Israeli authorities, and that they coincided with Israel’s announcement on its recent operation to arrest Hamas members on Wednesday.
He added:
“These arrests are targeting Palestinian resistance, and will not weaken Hamas. The resistance continues: we will find alternative routes to liberation and these attempts will not decrease the tenacity of our cause”.
PA arrests anti-Occupation activists to please Israel
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
Palestinian Authority (PA) security agencies embarked this week on a fresh campaign of repression against activists suspected of affiliation with the Palestinian Islamic liberation group Hamas.
The ongoing campaign reportedly targeted more than a hundred activists across the West Bank. The detainees included college students, community leaders and former political prisoners who languished in Israeli jails and detention camps for prolonged periods.
Hamas described the campaign as representing "a disgraceful subservience to Israeli dictates in the framework of security coordination between Israel and the PA regime."
Palestinian lawmaker Mushir al Masri, a Gaza politician affiliated with Hamas, described the campaign as "another effort by the PA leadership to obtain a certificate of good conduct from (Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin) Netanyahu.
"They (the PA) are trying to demonstrate to the Zionist enemy that they are still committed to collaboration and security cooperation with Israel against the Palestinian people."
Masri said the only party benefiting from the sweeping arrests was Israel and the enemies of the Palestinian people.
For its part, the PA denied that the arrests were political in nature.
"These are purely security-related measures," said Osama Kawasmeh, a Fatah spokesman based in Hebron.
Security Coordination
The latest arrests come in the aftermath of a number of sporadic attacks in the West Bank where an Israeli settler was killed and others injured in the Nablus region. The Palestinian attacks were apparently in retaliation for the killing by Israel of several Palestinians.
On Friday, the Israeli army murdered a Palestinian youngster near Ramallah. Eyewitnesses described the incident as "cold-blooded murder."
No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the Nablus attack. However, Israel, as usual, accused Hamas of responsibility. Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility, but a statement by the movement reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people, being under a decades-old vicious foreign military occupation, to resist the Israeli occupation using all means necessary.
Having been unable to apprehend the attackers, Israel apparently instructed the PA security agencies to carry out sweeping arrests in an effort to catch the attackers.
The arrests actually show that the entire PA apparatus is at Israel's beck and call, despite the fact that Israel has effectively liquidated any remaining realistic prospects for establishing a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank due to its unrelenting settlement expansion.
Israel considers security "cooperation" with the PA as being the main raison d'être of the PA.
In the past, PA leaders sought to justify close security coordination with Israel, which is actually more of a total subservience to Israeli security whims than a genuine two-way coordination with the Israeli occupation army by invoking the statehood mantra.
Now, however, it seems that the PA is carrying out Israeli orders to the letter in order to maintain its own survival.
According to retired Political Science Professor Abdul Sattar Kassem, it is really hard for the PA to cite objective reasons justifying its "humiliating security coordination with Israel."
"Israel continues to build settlements and confiscate large areas of the West Bank, Israel continues to murder innocent Palestinians nearly on a daily basis, Israel continues to blockade Gaza, Israel continues to give a free rein to fascist Jewish settlers to attack Palestinians and vandalize their property… and despite all of this the PA remains totally faithful to act as policeman and guardian of Israeli occupation interests."
Kassem, who was speaking on al Jazeera TV Friday night, described the PA discourse as treasonous.
"Once you recognize the Zionist occupation and commit yourself to working with it against your people, you are effectively committing an act of treason against the Palestinian people and their just cause."
Receding hopes for Hamas-Fatah reconciliation
The latest detention campaign against Islamic activists in the West Bank, which is being done on Israel's behalf and on Israeli instructions, is considered a sharp blow to reconciliation efforts between Fatah, the backbone of the PA regime, and Hamas.
Moreover, with the political deadlock continuing, unabated mainly due to the absence of any desire for peace on the part of the Israeli government (arguably the most extreme in Israel's history), it is likely that the overall political situation in occupied Palestine will exacerbate further, with the possibility of new forces appearing on the Palestinian arena.
Abu Zahri stated during a conference held today in Gaza city by Palestinian factions that Hamas rejected the political arrests of its members in the West Bank. He said that Hamas was seeing unprecedented arrests in terms of semantics and variety, as now more than 100 members have been detained- the majority of whom are political and academic elites.
He indicated that the arrests carried out by PA police came in the context of a collaboration between the police of the West Bank and Israeli authorities, and that they coincided with Israel’s announcement on its recent operation to arrest Hamas members on Wednesday.
He added:
“These arrests are targeting Palestinian resistance, and will not weaken Hamas. The resistance continues: we will find alternative routes to liberation and these attempts will not decrease the tenacity of our cause”.
PA arrests anti-Occupation activists to please Israel
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
Palestinian Authority (PA) security agencies embarked this week on a fresh campaign of repression against activists suspected of affiliation with the Palestinian Islamic liberation group Hamas.
The ongoing campaign reportedly targeted more than a hundred activists across the West Bank. The detainees included college students, community leaders and former political prisoners who languished in Israeli jails and detention camps for prolonged periods.
Hamas described the campaign as representing "a disgraceful subservience to Israeli dictates in the framework of security coordination between Israel and the PA regime."
Palestinian lawmaker Mushir al Masri, a Gaza politician affiliated with Hamas, described the campaign as "another effort by the PA leadership to obtain a certificate of good conduct from (Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin) Netanyahu.
"They (the PA) are trying to demonstrate to the Zionist enemy that they are still committed to collaboration and security cooperation with Israel against the Palestinian people."
Masri said the only party benefiting from the sweeping arrests was Israel and the enemies of the Palestinian people.
For its part, the PA denied that the arrests were political in nature.
"These are purely security-related measures," said Osama Kawasmeh, a Fatah spokesman based in Hebron.
Security Coordination
The latest arrests come in the aftermath of a number of sporadic attacks in the West Bank where an Israeli settler was killed and others injured in the Nablus region. The Palestinian attacks were apparently in retaliation for the killing by Israel of several Palestinians.
On Friday, the Israeli army murdered a Palestinian youngster near Ramallah. Eyewitnesses described the incident as "cold-blooded murder."
No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the Nablus attack. However, Israel, as usual, accused Hamas of responsibility. Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility, but a statement by the movement reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people, being under a decades-old vicious foreign military occupation, to resist the Israeli occupation using all means necessary.
Having been unable to apprehend the attackers, Israel apparently instructed the PA security agencies to carry out sweeping arrests in an effort to catch the attackers.
The arrests actually show that the entire PA apparatus is at Israel's beck and call, despite the fact that Israel has effectively liquidated any remaining realistic prospects for establishing a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank due to its unrelenting settlement expansion.
Israel considers security "cooperation" with the PA as being the main raison d'être of the PA.
In the past, PA leaders sought to justify close security coordination with Israel, which is actually more of a total subservience to Israeli security whims than a genuine two-way coordination with the Israeli occupation army by invoking the statehood mantra.
Now, however, it seems that the PA is carrying out Israeli orders to the letter in order to maintain its own survival.
According to retired Political Science Professor Abdul Sattar Kassem, it is really hard for the PA to cite objective reasons justifying its "humiliating security coordination with Israel."
"Israel continues to build settlements and confiscate large areas of the West Bank, Israel continues to murder innocent Palestinians nearly on a daily basis, Israel continues to blockade Gaza, Israel continues to give a free rein to fascist Jewish settlers to attack Palestinians and vandalize their property… and despite all of this the PA remains totally faithful to act as policeman and guardian of Israeli occupation interests."
Kassem, who was speaking on al Jazeera TV Friday night, described the PA discourse as treasonous.
"Once you recognize the Zionist occupation and commit yourself to working with it against your people, you are effectively committing an act of treason against the Palestinian people and their just cause."
Receding hopes for Hamas-Fatah reconciliation
The latest detention campaign against Islamic activists in the West Bank, which is being done on Israel's behalf and on Israeli instructions, is considered a sharp blow to reconciliation efforts between Fatah, the backbone of the PA regime, and Hamas.
Moreover, with the political deadlock continuing, unabated mainly due to the absence of any desire for peace on the part of the Israeli government (arguably the most extreme in Israel's history), it is likely that the overall political situation in occupied Palestine will exacerbate further, with the possibility of new forces appearing on the Palestinian arena.
3 july 2015
The Hamas Movement has condemned the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its frenzied arrest campaign against its cadres in the West Bank, accusing it of attempting to stop the growing resistance activities against the Israeli occupation.
Hamas spokesman Husam Badran stated in a press release on Thursday that the PA security apparatuses moved at the behest of the Israeli occupation to curb the escalating resistance operations in the West Bank, especially after the latter recently accused Hamas of being behind most of the attacks.
Badran said that the current arrest campaign vindicated further the PA security apparatuses' subjugation to the Israeli occupation.
He held PA chief Mahmoud Abbas fully responsible for what he described as the acts of repression and terrorism practiced by his security agencies against the Palestinian people in the West Bank.
The Hamas spokesman urged all national factions and political forces to state their positions clearly against such acts, which he said are "tearing apart the Palestinian national fabric."
Hamas spokesman Husam Badran stated in a press release on Thursday that the PA security apparatuses moved at the behest of the Israeli occupation to curb the escalating resistance operations in the West Bank, especially after the latter recently accused Hamas of being behind most of the attacks.
Badran said that the current arrest campaign vindicated further the PA security apparatuses' subjugation to the Israeli occupation.
He held PA chief Mahmoud Abbas fully responsible for what he described as the acts of repression and terrorism practiced by his security agencies against the Palestinian people in the West Bank.
The Hamas spokesman urged all national factions and political forces to state their positions clearly against such acts, which he said are "tearing apart the Palestinian national fabric."
Palestinian Authority (PA) forces overnight Thursday and at dawn Friday arrested 108 Hamas members in the West Bank, in one of the biggest raids of its kind in months.
The campaign is considered as part of the PA’s attempt to stop the recent spate of anti-occupation attacks and activism.
Media sources identified most of the arrested citizens as ex-prisoners. Local news outlets published the names of the 108 arrestees, including students and human rights activists.
Political bureau member of Hamas Ezzet el-Resheq denounced the panic-stricken security measures undertaken by the Palestinian Authority forces against Hamas affiliates in the West Bank.
He slammed the PA apparatuses for coordinating with the Israeli occupation, holding them responsible for the persecution and terror perpetrated against the group’s backers during the holy Ramadan month.
Over the past few months, there has been a sharp uptick in arbitrary mass-abduction campaigns by the PA apparatuses and Israeli occupation forces against Hamas supporters across the West Bank.
The campaign is considered as part of the PA’s attempt to stop the recent spate of anti-occupation attacks and activism.
Media sources identified most of the arrested citizens as ex-prisoners. Local news outlets published the names of the 108 arrestees, including students and human rights activists.
Political bureau member of Hamas Ezzet el-Resheq denounced the panic-stricken security measures undertaken by the Palestinian Authority forces against Hamas affiliates in the West Bank.
He slammed the PA apparatuses for coordinating with the Israeli occupation, holding them responsible for the persecution and terror perpetrated against the group’s backers during the holy Ramadan month.
Over the past few months, there has been a sharp uptick in arbitrary mass-abduction campaigns by the PA apparatuses and Israeli occupation forces against Hamas supporters across the West Bank.
29 june 2015
At least one Palestinian citizen was arrested by the Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses in the West Bank while three more citizens were summoned for interrogation on account of their political affiliation.
Sources based in the West Bank province of al-Khalil said the PA general intelligence nabbed the ex-political prisoner Mohamed Abu Hadid and summoned the university student Ahmad Abu Eisha for interrogation.
The PA preventive security forces in al-Khalil have, meanwhile, kept Mohamed al-Rajoub in custody without providing a legal justification for the detention.
Bethlehem-based sources said the PA intelligence has kept the student Nader al-Khatib in its detention centers for the 32nd day running.
The PA preventive forces in Tubas summoned the lecturer at the An-Najah University Dr. Ahmad Daraghma and the ex-prisoner Ashraf Mustafa Daraghma, 37, for interrogation.
Ex-prisoner Mohamed Abu Leifa has also been locked up in the PA’s Juneid prison despite the sharp deterioration rocking his health status.
The PA intelligence in Tulkarem has, meanwhile, kept the youngster Tarek al-Sabah in custody for the 50th day in a row.
Sources based in the West Bank province of al-Khalil said the PA general intelligence nabbed the ex-political prisoner Mohamed Abu Hadid and summoned the university student Ahmad Abu Eisha for interrogation.
The PA preventive security forces in al-Khalil have, meanwhile, kept Mohamed al-Rajoub in custody without providing a legal justification for the detention.
Bethlehem-based sources said the PA intelligence has kept the student Nader al-Khatib in its detention centers for the 32nd day running.
The PA preventive forces in Tubas summoned the lecturer at the An-Najah University Dr. Ahmad Daraghma and the ex-prisoner Ashraf Mustafa Daraghma, 37, for interrogation.
Ex-prisoner Mohamed Abu Leifa has also been locked up in the PA’s Juneid prison despite the sharp deterioration rocking his health status.
The PA intelligence in Tulkarem has, meanwhile, kept the youngster Tarek al-Sabah in custody for the 50th day in a row.
26 june 2015
The Hamas Movement has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses in the West Bank of arresting five of its members and summoning seven others for interrogation because of their political affiliation.
According to a press release issued on Friday by the Movement, the PA intelligence agency in Nablus kidnapped ex-detainee Mujahed al-Qutb, while the preventive security arrested engineer Fathi Anwar after summoning him for interrogation.
The preventive security forces also kidnapped 70-year-old Fa'yek Hasan from his home in Jamma'in town, southwest of Nablus, on charges of receiving money from his son in Gaza.
In al-Khalil, PA security forces detained Ibrahim al-Nattah, a former prisoner in Israeli jails, after he responded to a summons from the intelligence agency. Nattah had spent 10 years in an Israeli prison.
In Ramallah, the intelligence forces arrested another ex-detainee named Mousa al-Shaw'ani, who had lost one of his eyes in confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, a PA court approved a request submitted by the PA intelligence to extend the detention of four citizens affiliated with Hamas for 15 days.
The detainees are Iyad Naser, Mohamed Abu Lifa, Mohamed Salah and Osama Sabbah.
The Movement also said in its statement that seven of its members, six of them ex-detainees in Israeli jails, were summoned by the preventive security apparatus in al-Khalil for questioning, without stating if they would respond to the summonses.
According to a press release issued on Friday by the Movement, the PA intelligence agency in Nablus kidnapped ex-detainee Mujahed al-Qutb, while the preventive security arrested engineer Fathi Anwar after summoning him for interrogation.
The preventive security forces also kidnapped 70-year-old Fa'yek Hasan from his home in Jamma'in town, southwest of Nablus, on charges of receiving money from his son in Gaza.
In al-Khalil, PA security forces detained Ibrahim al-Nattah, a former prisoner in Israeli jails, after he responded to a summons from the intelligence agency. Nattah had spent 10 years in an Israeli prison.
In Ramallah, the intelligence forces arrested another ex-detainee named Mousa al-Shaw'ani, who had lost one of his eyes in confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, a PA court approved a request submitted by the PA intelligence to extend the detention of four citizens affiliated with Hamas for 15 days.
The detainees are Iyad Naser, Mohamed Abu Lifa, Mohamed Salah and Osama Sabbah.
The Movement also said in its statement that seven of its members, six of them ex-detainees in Israeli jails, were summoned by the preventive security apparatus in al-Khalil for questioning, without stating if they would respond to the summonses.