The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday morning arrested three customs policemen from the Palestinian Authority (PA) as they were working on thwarting a smuggling attempt in Salfit province.
In a statement the PA customs authority said that three of its patrol officers were arrested and taken to the illegal settlement of Ariel despite the presence of prior coordination with the Israeli side on allowing customs policing in the area.
It explained that the officers were on a routine patrolling mission when they stopped an Israeli truck laden with a cargo of contraband on a road near Salfit city before the driver suddenly tried to make a run for it ramming his vehicle into the patrol car and injuring one of them.
Soon after that Israeli policemen aboard a patrol car came to the area arrested the customs officers and took them to Ariel settlement.
Similar incidents had happened repeatedly in different areas of the occupied West Bank where the PA interior ministry accuses Israeli security officials of helping smugglers to bring contraband shipments of rotten goods to Palestinian areas.
Meanwhile Israeli soldiers on the same day at night stormed and patrolled streets in Salfit city and the town of Kifl Hares to the west without making arrests.
