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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Monday at dawn February 4, 2013 l Israeli soldiers kidnapped 21 Palestinians, including three legislators, in several districts in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestine News & Info Agency (WAFA) reported that the soldiers kidnapped, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, legislator Ahmad Attoun, a Jerusalem legislator who was forcibly exiled to Ramallah, in addition to legislator Hatem Qfesiha from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and legislator Mohammad At-Till from Ath-Thaheriyya nearby town.

Also in Ramallah, the soldiers kidnapped a resident identified as Falah Nada.

The soldiers also kidnapped a Zein Ed-Deen Shabana, a university teacher from Hebron.

Furthermore, soldiers invaded several neighborhoods in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and the Balata refugee camp, and kidnapped 10 Palestinians identified as Adnan Asfour, Baker Bilal, Omar Al-Jabreeny, Baha’ Ya’ish, Mahmoud Aseeda, Qaher Moammar, Mjally Issa, Shaker Suleiman and two brothers identified as Jihad and Nidal Al-Oweiwy.

In Qalqilia, also in the northern part of the West Bank, the army kidnapped one resident identified as Riyadh Al-Walweel.

Army also invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, and the Tulkarem refugee camp, and kidnapped two residents identified as Fadi Al-Ammoury and Ahmad Al-Hosary, after breaking into their homes and searching them.

Soldiers broke into the Zakat Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the city and confiscated several computers.

Ghazi Al-Hajj Qassem, head of the Zakat Committee, stated that the soldiers detonated the main door, and searched the office causing extensive damage.

In Bethlehem, the soldiers invaded the Al-Obeiyyat area, and kidnapped Wael Obeiyyat, 21, and also kidnapped Ma’moun Zawahra, 24, from Doha town, and Mohammad Sabah, 18, from Tequa’.

In related news, The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that, two days ago, the Israeli army started a large-scale arrest campaign in the West Bank, and kidnapped more than 40 Palestinians, including several legislators.

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Israeli Army Arrests 24 People in West Bank

RAMALLAH, February 4, 2013 (WAFA) – The Israeli army arrested Monday 24 Palestinians from throughout the West Bank in a wide scope campaign that included parliament member, according to various sources.

They said soldiers raided several West Bank cities, arresting activists and political figures that included Ahmad Attoun, a lawmaker from Jerusalem whom Israel had expelled to Ramallah last year after revoking his Jerusalem residency status.

Those arrested included also Hatem Qufeisheh, from Hebron, and Muhammad al-Tul, from Dahrieh, in the Hebron area, both along with Attoun, are lawmakers from the Hamas-backed Change and Reform bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council.

The long list of names of those arrested included several Hamas members, such as Adnan Asfour, from Nablus, where 10 of those arrested came from, and university instructor from Hebron Zein al-Din Shabaneh.
Arrests included cities such as Bethlehem, Tulkarm and Ramallah.
The Prisoners Club said Israel arrested 40 Palestinians in the West Bank in the last 48 hours.

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Israel detains Hamas MPs, officials across West Bank

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces conducted an arrest sweep of Hamas-affiliated officials in the West Bank overnight Sunday, including three Palestinian MPs.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said 25 Palestinians were arrested overnight, with 23 belonging to the Islamist group.

She would not confirm whether Hamas lawmakers had been arrested and did not provide any of the men's names or say why they had been detained.

Hamas said in a statement that the three Hamas lawmakers -- Ahmed Attoun in al-Bireh, Hatem Qafisha in Hebron and Mohammed al-Tal in al-Dhahiriyya -- had been detained in the early hours of the morning.

"It is a criminal act that will not succeed in stopping their struggle," the statement said. "We in the Hamas movement strongly condemn the campaign of arbitrary arrests that took in dozens of Hamas leaders."

Local leaders

Twelve other Hamas officials were seized in the raids overnight Saturday, as well as several Palestinians not holding a political position, according to local sources.

In Hebron, forces detained Dr Zein Addin Shabanah from Hebron city and Sheikh Samir Buheis from Yatta.

In Ramallah, Israeli troops arrested Sheikh Falah Nada from Al-Bireh and Adnan al-Husary was seized in Tulkarem. In Qalqiliya, Riyad Walweel and Sheikh Muhsin al-Hardan were detained.

Five other Hamas officials were seized in the Nablus district. They were identified as Adnan Asfour, Bahaa Yaish, and Bakr Said Bilal from Nablus city, and Omar al-Jibrini from Balata refugee camp and Mahmoud Saqr Asida from Tal village.

Meanwhile, locals identified seven other Palestinians detained overnight. They were named as Fadi al-Amouri from Tulkarem, Mamoon Muhammad Zawahira from Doha in Bethlehem. In the Nablus village of Qaryut, Jihad Salah Addin Badawi, Nidal Salah Addin Badawi, Mujalli Zuheir Issa, Qahir Ahmad Muammar, and Shakir Ahmad Mousa were all detained.

Israel holds 4,743 Palestinians in its prisons, including 178 held without charge, according to latest figures from prisoners group Addameer.

The Palestinian Authority says 15 MPs are currently detained in Israel jails.

Impediment to reconciliation

Gaza's minister of prisoners' affairs Atallah Abu al-Sabh warned that the detentions could impede the ongoing efforts to achieve reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.

At a Gaza City news conference the official laid some blame at the Fatah-led authorities in the West Bank.

"These detentions wouldn't have been made without high-level security coordination," Abu al-Sabh said, referring to coordination between Israeli forces and the Palestinian Authority's security services.

Meanwhile, PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said the arrests were an Israeli intrusion into internal Palestinian politics.

"It is apparent the Israeli government is implementing a policy of intimidation and power politics to meddle in Palestinian domestic affairs and to undermine reconciliation efforts," she said in a statement.

She urged Arab, European and international parliaments to urge Israel to respect human rights, including the immunity of democratically elected officials, saying "Israel is not above the law."

Reuters contributed to this report

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