Aletho News

Hamas: The new arrest campaign in W. Bank a requirement for Washington talks

Palestine Information Center – 25/08/2010

DAMASCUS — The Hamas Movement deplored the Palestinian Authority’s security militias for kidnapping lately dozens of its cadres and senior officials in the West Bank, considering this campaign an urgent requirement for the frivolous talks to be held in Washington.

“This frenzied campaign against our people in the West Bank is an instant requisite ahead of the useless negotiations in Washington, and a bad fruit of the policy and approach of the security coordination with the occupation under the command of US general Keith Dayton, that is intended for protecting the occupation’s security and the settlers’ well-being,” Hamas said in a press release on Tuesday.

Hamas also called on de facto president Mahmoud Abbas and his government to desist from this unpatriotic approach and release all detainees immediately, and held them fully responsible for the detainees’ safety.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the first deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council, slammed the raids carried out by these security militias on homes and offices of a number of Hamas lawmakers in the West Bank.

Dr. Bahar also appealed in a statement to the Arab League, the organization of the Islamic conference, all parliaments around the world and human rights organizations to stand by the Jerusalemite officials threatened with expulsion from the holy city and pressure Israel to repeal its unjust decision against them.

The lawmaker condemned, in another context, the Palestine liberation organization for accepting the direct talks with Israelis, stressing that the PLO does not represent the Palestinian people.

In a separate incident, Abbas’s security militias kidnapped on Tuesday Sheikh Yasser Hamad, a senior Hamas official and a member of the municipal council in Qalqiliya city. Hamad is one of more than 60 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas kidnapped lately in the West Bank.

The militias also rounded up a young man called Munder Al-Sha’er from Habla village, south of Qalqiliya, during his visit to the relatives of his wife in Immatin village on Monday.

Sources close to Sha’er said that the detainee suffers from several diseases and spent many years in West Bank and Israeli jails.

Another Palestinian prisoner in Jericho prison was reportedly forced by the militias to shave his beard. Local sources added that the militias transferred him to criminals’ cell in an attempt to damage him psychologically.

10 other Palestinian citizens from Hamas were also kidnapped in the cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Al-Khalil, Qalqiliya, and Bethlehem, according to local sources on Wednesday.

The security militias in Nablus city also kidnapped Ahmed Al-Mash’ati, the commander-general of Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during his presence in a grocery store at noon Tuesday.

Deputy secretary-general of the PFLP Abdelrahim Malluh denounced in a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC) the kidnapping of Mash’ati, saying these security militias turned themselves into a tool to protect the Israeli occupation.

Malluh added that it is reprehensible for any security institution to arrest the Palestinian national figures and resistance fighters in order to guard the Israeli occupation’s security.

In a related context, Palestinian lawmaker Imad Nofal, for his part, strongly denounced the West Bank security militia for summoning Asma Hamouda, the wife of prisoner Ra’ed Hutri and a member of Qalqiliya municipal council, for interrogation.

Nofal stressed that this action is contrary to the Palestinian people’s norms and traditions, adding that women should be spared any political differences.

August 25, 2010 - Posted by aletho | Illegal Occupation, Subjugation - Torture