NABLUS, Israeli forces Friday dawn detained six Palestinians from Salem village, east of the West Bank city of Nablus, according to local sources.

They said that Israeli forces barged their way into the village, where they ransacked several houses and rounded up six villagers.

On Thursday evening, Israeli special forces, driving a white bus with Palestinian license plate, sneaked their way into Tubas city, and detained a Palestinian from the vicinity of his family house, as confirmed by Director of the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS) Office, Kamal Bani-Odeh.

Meanwhile, Israeli police rounded up five Palestinians who participated in a rally in protest of cursing Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in the vicinity of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Police cracked down on the rally and chased protestors in Bab al-Amoud, al-Musrara and Sultan Suleiman Street, beating them with batons and spraying them with skunk water before detaining the five people.

Among the detainees were a resident of Issawiyeh neighborhood and two minors from Shufat refugee camp.

The rally was organized in protest of Israeli settlers who chanted racist slogans, such as “Death to the Arabs”, assaulted press crews and cursed Prophet Muhammad in the March of Flags on Tuesday morning.

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: Palestinian News & Info Agency