Zionist Regime Forces Detain 14 Palestinians in Raids
Among those detained was renowned Palestinian writer and political scientist Ahmad Qatamish, who has spent several years in Israeli prisons, most recently a two and a half year stint under administrative detention -- Israel's widely condemned policy of internment without trial or charge.
Local sources said that Qatamish, 66, was detained from his home in the city of al-Bireh near Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, after Israeli soldiers thoroughly searched the house, damaging some of his possessions. He was then taken to an unknown location.
Qatamish was released from Israeli prison four years ago after spending two and a half consecutive years in administrative detention.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces also raided the town of al-Tira, west of Ramallah, and detained one Palestinian, Ma’an reported.
Two Palestinians were also detained in the village of Nahhalin in the southern Bethlehem district, one Palestinian was detained in al-Farah refugee camp in the northeastern Tubas district, two Palestinians were detained in the city of Qalqiliya in the northwest of the West Bank, and that six Palestinians were detained in Jenin in the northernmost district of the West Bank.
Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The United Nations recorded an average of 95 weekly raids in the occupied West Bank in 2016, and 70 weekly raids on average thus far in 2017.
According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, 6,300 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons as of March, including 300 minors, 61 women, and 500 under administrative detention.
Although Israeli authorities claim the withholding of evidence during administrative detention is essential for security concerns, rights groups have instead claimed the policy allows Israeli authorities to hold Palestinians for an indefinite period of time without showing any evidence that could justify their detentions.
Rights groups have also claimed that Israel's administrative detention policy has been used as an attempt to disrupt Palestinian political and social processes, notably targeting Palestinian politicians, activists, and journalists.
More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have undertaken an open-ended hunger strike in Israeli prisons calling for an end to the practice.
