In the latest early morning raids carried out by Israeli forces in the West Bank, on Monday, Israeli troops arrested six Palestinians, including one who was released last month from an Israeli prison as part of a prisoner swap deal.Two brothers, aged 17 and 18, were among those abducted in the early morning hours on Monday. The brothers, Imad al-Amour, 18, and Mohammed al-Amour, 17, were abducted from their family home in Tiqu’a village, south of Bethlehem.
22-year old Ghassan Mohammed Hanini was arrested near Qalqilia while attempting to cross an Israeli military checkpoint. Hanini was recently freed from the Israeli prison camp where he had spent three years in ‘administrative detention’ without charges. He was among 477 Palestinians that were released in exchange for the one Israeli prisoner that was held by Palestinian resistance factions.
Some Israeli officials had stated at the time of the swap deal that they would work to re-imprison many of the Palestinians that had been released. This is despite the fact that many of the Palestinians released in the prisoner swap deal had been in ‘administrative detention’ and had never been charged with any crime.
Another released prisoner, 59-year-old Sheikh Abdul Rahmad Salah, was interrogated for two hours by Israeli troops on Monday morning at his home in Jenin. During the course of the interrogation, the soldiers told Salah that he was considered to be ‘on probation’, although no legal papers had ever been filed to that effect. According to local sources, the troops warned Salah that they were watching him, and if he took any action threatening Israelis, he would be re-arrested.
In Hebron, released prisoner Hani Jabir was also questioned by Israeli troops on Monday morning, who issued him a summons to report to the nearest Israeli military base for questioning.
In addition, two brothers were abducted from the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem during Monday mornings raids. Mohammed Ma’ale, 24, and Fou’ad Feisal Ma’ale, 18, were taken by Israeli troops from their family home. Local sources reported that a third man named Saber was also abducted during the raid on Dheisheh camp Monday morning.
Israeli troops conduct raids throughout the West Bank before dawn every morning, abducting Palestinians that are suspected of crimes (usually named by paid informants). Many of these abductees are then held without charges for six-month sentences that are then extended, often for a period of several years, without ever having a day in court to hear the accusations against them or to plead their case.
