Israeli forces detain popular resistance coordinator in Bil'in

Ma'an
In what organizers are calling "the highest profile arrest of the recent wave of repression against West Bank popular struggle," Israeli forces detained Popular Committee member Mohammed Khatib from the village of Bil'in before sunrise Thursday.

According to fellow members of the Popular Committee, Israeli forces entered the village at 2am, and stormed Khatib's home, waking Mohammad, his wife and four young children. The home was quickly searched and troops retreated from the area shortly after the arrest.

Several witnesses and international solidarity workers reported seeing five military jeeps return to the home approximately thirty minutes after the detention. According to a statement, "six soldiers forced their way into the house again, where Khatib's children sat in terror, and conducted another, very thorough search of the premises, without showing a search warrant. During the search, Khatib's phone and many documents were seized, including papers from Bil'in's legal procedures in the Israel High Court."

Witnesses said soldiers left a note "saying that documents suspected as 'incitement materials' were seized," the statement said......   Full story

Similar raids have also been conducted in the village of alMaasara, south of Bethlehem, and in the village of Ni’ilin – where 110 residents have been arrested over the last year and half, as well as in the cities of Nablus, Ramallah and East Jerusalem.