Palestinian sources reported on Tuesday that Israeli soldiers, policemen and border guard units have abducted at least fifty Palestinian residents of Jerusalem and its suburbs.The sources stated that soldiers broke into and searched dozens of homes in the Old City of Jerusalem and several other Arab towns in East Jerusalem, and took fifty residents prisoner.
The abducted civilians were transferred to Al Maskobiyya detention facility. Residents of the Old City described the Israeli attacks as extremely violent, and said that they were carried out overnight and during morning hours.
Damage was reported in several attacked homes, as the soldiers had violently broken into them and searched them.
An Israeli military source said that the police had taken photos of dozens of protesters who were protesting against the digging near the Al Aqsa Mosque, and conducted the arrests based on these photos.
The sources claimed that the abductees had hurled stones and empty bottles at the soldiers. The attack raises the number of Palestinians taken prisoner in Jerusalem in recent days to 71.
The Israeli police are preparing to file charges against the abducted residents.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) slammed the abductions and considered them politically motivated.
In an official statement, the PPS stated that Israel continues its attacks against holy sites in Jerusalem, and against the residents of the city. The PPS appealed to the International Community and the United Nations to intervene in order to stop the Israeli attacks against the Al Aqsa Mosque, the Holy Sites, and the residents of the city. The Society also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all abducted residents.
