RAMALLAH, Israeli forces today detained 37 Palestinians, mostly in large-scale overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, according to local and security sources.
They said that Israeli forces rounded up 13 Palestinians after breaking into and ransacking their houses in Nur Shams refugee camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm.
Elsewhere in the northern West Bank, the forces rounded up three from Kafr Dan town, west of Jenin, in addition to four others, including a former prisoner along with his two brothers, from al-Yamun town, northwest of the city.
Another, a resident of Jaba‘ town, south of the city, was rounded up after being stopped at the permanently-staffed Huwara checkpoint, south of Nablus.
In Nablus district, the sources confirmed multiple raids in Tell village, Rafidiya neighborhood in the western part of the city and Balata, on the outskirts of the city, resulting in the detention of three others.
In Tubas district, the soldiers arrested a resident of Tammun town, south of the city, after being stopped on Huwara Road, south of Nablus.
In Ramallah district, Israeli soldiers barged their way into al-Bireh city neighborhood of Umm Sharayet, re-arrested a former prisoner and ransacked his house, turning it upside down.
In Jerusalem, police detained another after forcibly entering his house in al-Tur neighborhood.
They also rounded up another after storming his house in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In the southern West Bank, the soldiers conducted a similar raid in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, and detained another after storming his parents’ house.
In Hebron district, gun-toting soldiers showed up at three houses in Beit Ummar town, north of the city, muscled and wreaked havoc inside and eventually detained three others.
The sources added that four others were detained from the southern West Bank district; two from Halhul, another from al-Arroub refugee camp and a former prisoner from the city.
Another was detained in a raid in the Hebron city neighborhood of al-Sheikh.
Israeli forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.
These raids, which take place also in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, are conducted with no need for a search warrant, whenever and wherever the military chooses in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.
Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency