The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) launched a raids and arrests campaign on Monday night and at dawn Tuesday in various areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem. Clashes erupted and several Palestinians were arrested.
Eyewitnesses reported that IOF arrested Moaz Al-Ghandour from Arafat’s building on Al-Maturat Street in Nablus.
IOF stormed the archaeological area in Sebastia town northwest of Nablus.
Muhammad Azim Chairman of Sebastia Municipal Council stated that several Israeli officers and officials stormed the archaeological area and toured it under heavy police protection.
The IOF soldiers raided this area last Thursday and closed it to the Palestinians while hundreds of Jewish settlers stormed it last Friday.
The IOF threatens to remove the Palestinian flagpole which reaches a height of 17 meters and is in Al-Bayader Square in Sebastia town which is an area classified as B.
Since the end of the eighties archaeological sites in the West Bank have been exposed to the occupation’s attempts to set them under its administration and Sebastia has actually been transformed into the so-called Israeli public gardens.
Sebastia was considered later as part of the nearby Shafi Shimron settlement and its settlers placed signboards there written on it … Sebastia Public Garden.
Sebastia’s residents in the northern West Bank seek to place it on the world tourism map as it is one of the important archaeological sites and to protect it from Israeli attempts to control it.
The division of the town into areas classified C and B according to the Oslo agreement forms an obstacle in the development of the archaeological site. The Israeli occupation authorities prevent Palestinians from working restoring and excavating areas classified C and seek to control them.
Sebastia is subjected to repeated incursions by IOF and the frequent closure of the archaeological site to secure the entry of Jewish tourists who perform religious rituals claiming that it is Israeli territory.
Meanwhile IOF stormed Kafr Qalil town searched several houses and tampered with their contents.
In Jenin IOF raided the Silat al-Dhahr district of Jenin broke into a number of houses and arrested Nayef Hosni al-Qadhi during which they destroyed his belongings.
IOF also arrested Muhammad Ahmad Hamarsha from Ya’bad town after they raided and searched his family’s home.
In Qalqilya the town of Kafr Qaddum witnessed clashes in the early hours of Monday night after the IOF soldiers stormed it.
In Ramallah IOF raided Beitunia town and arrested three Palestinians after raiding and searching their homes and tampering with their contents.
In al-Khalil IOF arrested Muhammad Abd al-Rajoub from Dura town after they raided and searched his home.
Special units of the occupation army known as “Mistaravim” kidnapped the citizen Muhammad Jawad Al-Wawi from his workplace in the Civil Defense in Halhoul town north of al-Khalil.
Furthermore IOF demolished a barracks under construction in the Al-Jalada area in al-Khalil for Adnan Al-Mashni. It also set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to Tarqumiya town to the west searched exiting vehicles and checked the citizens’ ID cards.
IOF arrested Ammar Hanayen and Iyad Ja’ara after storming the Al-Arroub refugee camp north of al-Khalil.
In Occupied Jerusalem the Israeli police arrested the two brothers Muhammad and Moamen Ma’mun Muhaisin from al-Issawiya village.
Mahmoud Samreen was also arrested after he confronted the Israeli police’s demolition and razing operation in the lands of Rababa Valley in Silwan in Occupied Jerusalem.
