Jericho: Israeli occupation forces Wednesday assaulted and detained three Palestinians from Fasayel village, north of the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, according to the Palestine Prisoner's Society (PPS). PPS official, Eid Barahmeh, reported that the occupying forces broke into several houses in the village and detained three villagers, all identified as members of the Taamreh family, after physically assaulting them.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the incident in Fasayel village was part of a broader pattern of actions by the Israeli forces. The occupying forces also reportedly rammed their jeeps into Palestinian-registered vehicles parked in al-Mughayyir village, northeast of Ramallah, and slashed their tires.
These types of raids occur almost daily across the West Bank, as Israeli forces search for individuals they claim are 'wanted'. The raids often lead to clashes with residents and are conducted without search warrants, demonstrating the extensive powers held by Israeli military commanders over the Palestinian population.
Under Israeli military law, military commanders exert full executive, legislative, and judicial authority over approximately 3 million Palestinians residing in the West Bank. Palestinians have no control over how these powers are wielded, leading to widespread criticism of the occupation.
Current figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, indicate that 9,500 Palestinian political prisoners are held in Israeli prisons, including 350 child prisoners and 21 female prisoners. Among these, about 3,405 are held under 'administrative detention', which allows for detention without charge or trial for intervals of three to six months based on undisclosed evidence.
This pattern of mass arrests is not a new phenomenon. Addameer's 2017 report highlighted that over the past five decades, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israeli authorities. This figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million, meaning approximately 40% of Palestinian men and boys have experienced imprisonment, impacting nearly every Palestinian family.
