As the army attack on Beit Fajar continues, the Israeli army kidnaps 20 civilians

Tuesday July 15, 2008 12:43 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMc News

The Israeli army continued on Tuesday afternoon the military opration targeting the village of Beit Fajar located near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.

army in the West Bank - file 2007

Local sources said that the army is conducting a wide scale search campaign in the village, witnesses told news agencies that soldiers have rounded up at least 20 men from the village and took them to an unknown detention camp.

The witnesses identified some of those kidnapped as: Tha'er Takatka, 23, Ala Takatka, 24, Husen Takatka, 46, and Shihab Thawabtah, 46.

On Tuesday at dawn a number of Israeli troops invaded Beit Fajar village and placed the village under curfew and took a building and used it as a military post. Troops did not allow journalists to move around the village to document the invasion.

The Israeli army gave no reason for today's attack on Beit Fajar. The village is famous for having the best granite factories in the West Bank.

Update from

Israeli troops invade Beit Fajar village south of Bethlehem

Tuesday July 15, 2008 12:44 by Ghada Salsaa - IMEMC News

Palestinian sources reported that a number of Israeli troops invaded Beit Fajar village near the southern West Bank city Bethlehem, on Tuesday at dawn.

Witnesses said that during the invasion the Israeli soldiers placed the village under curfew and took a building and used it as a military post. The witnesses added that soldiers did not allow journalists to move around the village to document the invasion.

As of the time of this report no kidnappings by the army were reported. The army gave no reasons for the dawn attack.

bethlehem | israeli attacks | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org