Israeli Forces Arrest Several Palestinians in Occupied Territories

Israeli forces arrested 23 Palestinians from different parts of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on June 1, Monday. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), among those arrested are two former prisoners and two minors.

At least six Palestinians were arrested from Hebron and five from a Jordan Valley village. The reasons for the arrest were not made clear by the Israeli forces. An 18-year-old school boy and a 16-year-old minor have been arrested from Beit Umar town near Hebron city.

Though Israeli forces regularly detain Palestinians, the number of such arrests has increased in the last couple of weeks. Yesterday was the second time in less than a month when mass arrests were made by the Israeli forces.

Last month, Palestinians resisted the Israeli forces during one such operation, leading to the death of two Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

In complete violation of all established human rights norms, including its own laws, Israel has continued the practice of holding Palestinian detainees without any charge or formal trial for months before they are formally charged and tried or released. Some of them are repeatedly arrested without any formal charges. This practice is even more dangerous as the spread of coronavirus threatens the lives of thousands and those in detention centers are much more at risk.

The rise in the number of arrests in the last two months is speculated to be related to the proposed annexation of the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and in the Jordan Valley. Israel’s new government headed by prime minister Netanyahu has announced July 1 as the possible date for the formal annexation, despite appeals and warnings against the move issued by Palestinians, neighboring Arabs and sections of the international community.