Israeli occupation forces today detained at least five Palestinians, mostly in predawn raids across the occupied West Bank, according to local and security sources. They said that Israeli special forces sneaked their way into the western entrance of the northern West Bank city of Jenin and abducted a Palestinian. In the predawn hours of today, the occupation forces showed up at a house in Jalbun village, east of the city, ransacked it and eventually detained another. The sources confirmed another raid in Jenin city, leading to the detention of two others. Meanwhile, heavily-armed Israeli police detained another after ransacking his parents’ house in Anata town, northeast of Jerusalem. Israeli forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents. These raids, which take place also in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, 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 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 160 children and 31 female prisoners. This number includes 1,083 Palestinians placed under ‘administrative detention’, that 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. Mass arrest of Palestinians 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: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA