Occupied Jerusalem, July 29 (SANA) Israeli occupation forces arrested 14 Palestinians on Wednesday during a series of raids across the occupied West Bank, while settlers reportedly assaulted Palestinian families and continued expanding a settlement outpost in Bethlehem Governorate, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
WAFA reported that Israeli forces arrested 10 Palestinians at dawn from the villages of Burin, Madama, Asira al-Qibliya and Tell, south of Nablus. Two others were detained in the towns of Far’un and Saida in Tulkarm, another in Jalazone refugee camp north of Ramallah, and a young man from the eastern neighborhood of Jenin after troops raided and searched his home.
Israeli military vehicles were deployed in several streets of the neighborhood during the operation, while soldiers searched a number of homes before withdrawing from the area.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided several neighborhoods in the cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh, as well as the town of Beitunia to the west. More than 50 Israeli soldiers, accompanied by several military vehicles, also entered the village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, where they searched dozens of homes and questioned residents.
Late Tuesday, settlers wearing military uniforms reportedly stormed the Ras al-Ahmar community southeast of Tubas, assaulted three Palestinian families, threatened to forcibly expel them from the area, seized three private vehicles and cut a water pipeline serving the community.
In a related development, settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, continued on Wednesday expanding the settlement outpost in the Ush Ghrab area east of Beit Sahour in Bethlehem Governorate by installing additional mobile homes.
The Ush Ghrab site, which includes an Israeli military base, was designated about 15 years ago for the construction of a children’s hospital for residents of Bethlehem. The project, however, was never implemented after settlers established a settlement outpost there known as “Shdema.”
On Tuesday, Israeli occupation forces arrested 22 Palestinians, including former prisoners, during raids across the occupied West Bank, while several Palestinians were injured in settler attacks in Bethlehem and Hebron.
T.S /Ruaa
