Israeli forces detain 19 Palestinians in West Bank raids

RAMALLAH: Israeli occupation forces today detained 19 Palestinians mostly in predawn raids across the occupied West Bank, according to local and security sources. They said that the occupation forces rounded up Friday evening two Palestinians at the Karameh border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan as the latter were on their way back from performing Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The two detainees were identified as a resident of the Jenin refugee camp and a resident of Barta'a town, southwest of Jenin. In the Tulkarm district, the occupation forces rounded up two Palestinians, including an 18-year-old high school student, stormed several houses in Allar town, conducted thorough searches and interrogated the occupants. In the Nablus district, a convoy of army vehicles stormed Beita town, where the heavily armed soldiers detained four people and ransacked several houses. They also showed up at a house in Azmut village, muscled inside and detained an occcupant. The sources confirmed similar raids in the villages of Deir al-Hatab and Salem, east of Nablus, and in Yatma town, south of Nablus. During the raid in Yatma, the soldiers opened intensive gunfire, triggering confrontations. In the early morning and predawn hours, the occupation forces detained eight people from Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah. Still in Ramallah district, the occupation soldiers conducted a raid in Qaddura refugee camp, just located outside downtown Ramallah, resulting in the detention of another. During the raid, the soldiers shot a youth with a live round in the thigh and prevented Palestinian Red Crescent Society medics from approaching the scene. The casualty was eventually rushed to Palestine Medical Complex for treatment. The occupation troops conducted a raid in the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, where they broke inside a house, conducted a thorough search and detained an occupant. The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost daily across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for 'wanted' Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents. These raids are conducted with no need for a search warrant, whenever and wherever the military chooses in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers. Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised. According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 9,300 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres, including 250 child prisoners and 74 female prisoners. This number includes approximately 3,410 Palestinians placed under 'administrative detention', which allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee's lawyer is barred from viewing. The mass arrest of Pa lestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Addameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one. Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA