UN condemns Israel’s mass arrests, ‘gratuitous humiliation’ of Palestinians in West Bank
The UN’s human rights office has denounced the Israeli military for its “mass arrests, ill-treatment, and gratuitous humiliation of Palestinians during raids in refugee camps and towns across the West Bank”.
It said information gathered by its staff showed a “pattern of unnecessary, disproportionate and otherwise unlawful force” by Israeli forces in several Palestinian communities over the past month, “despite in many cases there being no apparent threat to public order or the security of the occupying forces”.
These include:
- A raid in Madama and Nablus on November 5 and 6, in which 20 Palestinians were held handcuffed, blindfolded and kept without food and water for periods of five to 19 hours. Nine of them reported being beaten.
- A raid in Dura, Hebron on October 31, in which 35 Palestinian men were detained. Israeli forces wrote numbers on their foreheads and forced them to walk handcuffed and blindfolded through the town.
- A raid in the Fawwar refugee camp on October 18 and 19, in which Israeli forces stormed 50 homes and detained 30 Palestinians. There were reports of widespread abuse, including alleged property theft and violence against householders and detainees, while Israeli media said there had been one case of grave sexual violence against a detainee.
Two Israelis injured in car-ramming near Bethlehem
The Times of Israel, citing medics, said two Israelis were treated at the scene of a car-ramming incident near the town of al-Khader in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said the suspect fled the scene and that troops have launched a manhunt.
Earlier, the Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces stormed al-Khader after the incident and closed it off. Israeli forces have imposed a tight siege on the town and are firing live bullets at anyone moving there, the agency reported.
Three Palestinians arrested in Israeli raid on Hebron
Israeli forces have arrested three Palestinians during a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Hebron and the nearby town of Sa’ir, the Wafa news agency reports. A former prisoner and son were among those detained, according to Wafa.
Israeli forces close entrances to Bethlehem
The Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli forces have closed off several entrances leading to the West Bank city amid large-scale raids on several areas in the Bethlehem governorate.
The move came as Israeli forces hunt for a suspect who wounded two Israelis in a car-ramming incident near the town of al-Khader. Wafa said Israeli forces have used sound bombs and toxic gas, but there are no reports of arrests as yet.
