Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

300 Palestinian Civilians, Hamas Leaders, and Recently-Released Prisoners Rounded up in Israeli Mass Abduction Campaign

June 20, 2014

300 civilians, Hamas leaders rounded up in Israeli mass abduction campaign

[ 19/06/2014 - 02:54 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- 

Dozens of heavily-armed Israeli soldiers stormed the Birzeit University north of Ramallah at dawn Thursday in an attempt to round up the Islamic bloc sit-inners rallying in protest at the political detention carried out by the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) invaded the campus and cordoned off all of its entrances and yards in search of the targeted students, SAFA News Agency said quoting a sit-inner.

The peaceful protestors fled the university yards for fear of further escalation in Israeli random attacks, media sources told the PIC.

According to on-the-spot journalist Muadh Mesha’l the Israeli patrols broke into the stockrooms of the Islamic Bloc and misappropriated all of their equipment and properties.

The Israeli patrols denied the president of Birzeit University, Khalil al-Hindi, access into the campus.

Meanwhile, eye-witnesses reported that violent clashes broke out at Abu Qish entrance, near the university, following IOF attacks and heavy firing of gunshots on Palestinian youths all along the passageway between Ramallah and Birzeit.

The attack coincides with a series of abduction and raid campaigns targeting dozens of Hamas leaders, PLC deputies, and ex-detainees, along with hundreds of innocent civilians.

PIC correspondent has been told by bystanders at the scene that ex-detainee Mahdi Shokri Al-Assi, released in the Wafa al-Ahrar deal, was rounded up by an Israeli special force that invaded the Balata camp, east of Nablus, via a white mini-bus.

The Israeli occupation authorities have been threatening the “Ahrar” ex-detainees with exile to the besieged Gaza Strip under pretext that the three Israeli soldiers, who have suddenly disappeared from al-Khalil, are still missing.

The number of Palestinian citizens abducted during the Israeli campaign launched in the West Bank over the past few days has been dramatically on the rise, bringing the total number to 300 Palestinian citizens, including 52 released in the 2011 Ahrar deal and 11 MPs, the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) documented in a statement Wednesday.

According to the PPS statement, Al-Khalil hit a record high of 104 detainees compared to 52 in Nablus, 41 in Ramallah, 37 in Jenin, and 16 in Tulkarem. Meanwhile, the number of Jerusalemite captives has gone up to 12 so far.

IOF continues its military campaign in West Bank

[ 19/06/2014 - 03:12 PM ]

WEST BANK, (PIC)--

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued Thursday their large-scale arrest and raid campaigns throughout the West Bank.

In Jenin, IOF soldiers launched a military operation at dawn Thursday in Jenin refugee camp which led to the outbreak of violent clashes amid intensive presence of Israeli forces.

A state of hysteria has prevailed among the Israeli soldiers who were trapped inside a Palestinian home in the refugee camp. The IOF soldiers reinforced their presence in the camp amid intensive fire of tear gas bombs, local sources said.

At least ten Palestinians suffered breathing difficulties after inhaling tear gas, while two others were injured with live bullets. Seven arrests were also reported during the raid.

In al-Khalil, large Israeli forces stormed at dawn today different neighborhoods in al-Khalil, 20 Palestinians were arrested including Hamas leaders and ex-prisoners and liberated detainees who were released in Shalit Swap Deal, in addition to number of elderly men after raiding their homes and blowing up their doors late at night.

Two charity associations’ headquarters were also stormed in al-Khalil. Lap tops and important files were confiscated during the break-in.

In Nablus, IOF continued their violent break-ins into Palestinian homes in the city for the fifth time in a row, which led to the outbreak of clashes with Palestinian youths.

A state of panic prevailed in different parts of the city when Israeli forces intensively fired tear gas bombs. Arrests were reported in Balata refugee camp east of the city including liberated detainees.

More than 200 Israeli soldiers stormed Barqa town, northern Nablus, where they raided and searched homes belonging to PA security members.

24 liberated detainees held in Hawara detention center

[ 19/06/2014 - 03:25 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)--

24 liberated detainees who were released in 2011 during Shalit Swap Deal are currently held in Hawara detention center after being re-arrested by Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday, Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) revealed.

Following his visit to Hawara detention center, PPS lawyer said that the liberated detainees called on Egypt as the mediator in the Shalit Swap Deal to intervene and put an end to the Israeli continued violations.

Along the same line, dozens of families of liberated detainees who were released during Shalit Swap Deal handed a letter to the Egyptian ambassador to Palestine, protesting their sons’ re-arrest in violation to the deal terms.

According to the PIC reporter, the families called in their letter on Egypt’s leadership to halt Israeli continued breaches to the agreement reached between Israeli authorities and Hamas movement under Egyptian mediation in 2011.

For his part, Undersecretary of Prisoners Affairs Ministry Ziad Abu Ein expressed his hope that Egyptian authorities would play a role in saving the liberated prisoners who were recently kidnapped by Israeli forces.

Abu Ein warned of the seriousness of Israeli arrests that may target all liberated prisoners who were released during the three prisoners release deals.

More than 50 liberated detainees were arrested on Wednesday as part of Israeli military campaign waged since the disappearance of three Israeli settlers last Thursday.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the Palestinian Resistance Committees (PLC) Akram Beyrem (Abu Mujahed) confirmed that a hysterical state has prevailed among Israeli military and security institutions following the abduction of the three settlers few days ago.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Abu Mujahed said that Israeli escalated raid and arrest campaigns and attacks against Palestinians in al-Khalil and the West Bank will not succeed in undermining Palestinian people’s steadfastness and determination.

Palestinian resistance will not remain silent before the Israeli continued attacks and crimes, he said, stressing the resistance’s readiness to defend the Palestinian people and land.

Abu Mujahed concluded his statement calling on Egyptian authorities to stop Israeli arrests of liberated prisoners who were freed during Shalit Swap Deal reached in 2011 under Egyptian mediation especially that the Israeli occupation authorities declared their intention to deport some of them to Gaza.

Netanyahu allows use of banned torture methods against Palestinian detainees

[ 19/06/2014 - 03:57 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

The Hebrew media has said that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu gave the Shin Bet interrogators the green light to use prohibited torture techniques against Palestinian detainees.

The Israeli laws allow the Shin Bet and Mossad to create a "ticking time bomb scenario" in order to use physical torture methods to extract information from prisoners.

Despite the exposure of Palestinian prisoners to systematic physical and psychological torture at the hands of their jailers, such Israeli measure means that other torture and pressure methods, like the ones used by the notorious US interrogators, could be employed against certain Palestinian detainees in order to extract information leading to the alleged captors of the three Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

40 Israeli settlers break into Holy al-Aqsa Mosque for desecration tours

[ 19/06/2014 - 03:33 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

A horde of 40 Israeli settlers of Talmudic institutions, led by the extremist Rabbi Yehuda Glick and Yisrael Ariel, head of the so-called Third Temple Institute, broke into holy al-Aqsa Mosque via al-Maghareba gate on Thursday, escorted by Israeli occupation police.

A member of the Islamic Waqf (Endowment) staff in Occupied Jerusalem said successive settler break-ins have been carried out by fanatic Israeli settlers who defiled holy al-Aqsa yards. Meanwhile, the fanatic Glick provided the settlers with extensive illustrations about the alleged temple.

Large numbers of Israeli police forces deployed around the mosque, where the peaceful Muslim congregation, summer campers, and Muslim students rallied.

On an earlier occasion Wednesday, 60 settlers, led by the Likud-affiliated Rabbi Glick, stormed the mosque and vandalized its yards. Two Palestinian students were rounded up by the Israeli police in the process.