Israeli forces have again arrested former prisoner Samer al-Issawi, after storming his house in al-Isawiya .Samer served 10 years in Israeli jails and became an internationally recognized icon for the prioners’ movement after spending 9 months on hunger strike last year.
The Palestinian News Network (PNN) reports that Samer was released, along with 1027 Palestinian prisoners, as a result of an Egypt-brokered deal between Hamas and the Israeli government for the return of Gilad Shalit.
In July of 2012, however, he was re-arrested for violating the terms of his release when he left Jerusalem into the West Bank.
Convicted for 8 months, to possibly include a reinstatement of the rest of his original 26 year sentence, al-Isawibegan a hunger strike in August, 2012.
In April of last year, when a deal was finally reached where he was to serve 8 months for violating his bail, and then be released to Jerusalem, Samer announced the end of his strike.
Today, Israeli forces raided al-Issawi’s village, where clashes broke out with residents before they broke into Samer’s house and arrested him again.
According to Ma’an, military forces detained 37 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, earlier, as Israel’s massive arrest campaign continued for the 11th day.
Israel accuses Hamas of kidnapping three Israeli teenagers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion, near Bethlehem, though no evidence has actually been presented to determine that a kidnapping took place, let alone by Hamas.
Israeli military spokesman General Motti Almoz said, on Sunday, that all information indicates that the teenagers ‘are alive’.
Samer’s sister Shireen was arrested with their brothers Medhat and Shadi, in March. They were not charged, but Israel has refused to release any details about their arrest, in line with behavior typical of the Administrative Detention policy.
Shireen’s detention has been extended by the Israeli court system three times, now, according to the PNN.
In January of 2013, brother Ahmad al-Issawi’s home was bulldozed.
