Israeli troops abducted, on Tuesday evening, Sheikh Mohammad Freihat, 46 years old. Sheikh Freihat is a religious figure and a political leader of the Hamas movement, in al-Yamoun town, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.Local sources reported that dozens of Israeli soldiers broke into the home of Freihat, forced him and his family out into the cold, before violently searching the property causing extensive damage.
Freihat was then cuffed and blindfolded before being taken to an undisclosed location.
Freihat is a former Islamic court judge in the Jenin district. He was removed from his post four years ago under a direct political decision made by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
He was repeatedly imprisoned and interrogated by the Palestinian Authority for political reasons, especially due to his affiliation with the Hamas movement.
He was also taken prisoner by the P.A. security forces, two months ago, and was placed under interrogation for twenty days at the Betunia Prison, near Ramallah.
Sheikh Freihat was only released after the Palestinian High Court ordered his immediate and unconditional release. The court also ordered the P.A. to compensate him for the time that he was suspended from his job.
Hamas said that the P.A. in the West Bank is conducting security coordination with Israel, an issue that is resulting in several arrests against members and supporters of the movement, including Hamas supporters who were previously detained by the P.A. security forces, and former political detainees who were held in Israeli detention facilities and prisons.
