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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel: More arrests of Hamas figures are expected |
| 2006-06-29 |
| By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies Israel intends to arrest more senior Hamas figures in addition to the dozens of Palestinian lawmakers and ministers arrested in a predawn raid Thursday, the Justice Ministry said Thursday. The detention of Hamas parliamentarians in the early hours of Thursday morning had been planned several weeks ago and received approval from Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on Wednesday. The same day, Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin presented Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with the list of Hamas officials slated for detention. [..] A Justice Ministry spokesperson said that the change in policy towards ministers and parliamentarians who are members of Hamas was carried out with the approval of and in coordination with the judiciary, and that Israel intends on arresting more Hamas officials. "We are talking about people suspected of criminal violations such as membership in terror organizations, affiliation with terrorist leadership, and other violations," the spokesperson said. "The criminal proceedings will follow accepted legal standards. The suspects will be entitled to legal defense, and the arrest and investigation will be subject to judicial oversight. If a charge against a suspect is found to be baseless, he will be released," the spokesperson added. Israel Defense Forces troops launched a major arrest operation overnight, detaining 64 of the ruling party's cabinet ministers and parliamentarians in the West Bank, as well as another 23 militants. The move is part of Israel's expanded military operation against the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian Authority. The arrests took place in Ramallah, Qalqilyah, Hebron, Jenin and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian reports. Soldiers carried arrest warrants signed by judges that were issued following cooperative preparatory work by the state prosecution and police. [..] There appeared to be some confusion Thursday as to whether Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser a-Shaer, had been one of those detainees or whether he had evaded capture and gone into hiding in the West Bank. The Hamas ministers had apparently expected the arrests. A-Shaer's wife said Thursday that he had avoided the military arrest operation as he had not been sleeping at home when the sweep took place. He reportedly had disconnected all his cellular telephones for fear Israeli security services would again attempt to track him down and arrest him. But GOC Southern Command Major General Yair Navbeh confirmed at a news conference Thursday that a-Shaer was among those who had been detained. [..] Warning to Haniyeh On Thursday morning, National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer hinted that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is not exempt from arrest or harm. "No one is immune... This is not a government. It is a murderous organization," Ben-Eliezer said. [..] We have no government, we have nothing. They have all been taken," Saeb Erekat, an ally of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said of the arrests. "This is absolutely unacceptable and we demand their release immediately." [..] Israel Radio quoted Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin as having told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the day of the kidnapping: "If the soldier is not returned in 24 hours, Israel will not allow the Palestinian government to survive." [..] Head to the article and read the whole thing |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #3 let RAB pick up Saeb Erekat. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-29 22:06 |
| #2 I sure as hell wouldn't reveal who I had in custody. Let them think they're dead, just as the animals have taunted about Shalit. I've reached the point where I could not care less if there is one Paleo left alive, in Gaza or anywhere else, after this is over. Israel has suffered the insanity far too long. Time to break the back of this cult of hate. Permanently. Whatever that takes. |
| Posted by: Crolump Glereper5426 2006-06-29 20:29 |
| #1 This is not a government. It is a murderous organization. If the soldier is not returned in 24 hours, Israel will not allow the Palestinian government to survive I think Hamas went over that line in the sand. They thought they wanted it. Let's see if they really do. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-06-29 20:22 |