Israeli occupation forces kidnap 8 Palestinians near Hebron

Date: 14 / 10 / 2008  Time:  17:23
Hebron – Ma’an –

Israeli occupation forces kidnapped eight Palestinians from the southern West Bank village of Karma on Tuesday afternoon. The area is close to the location of a ‘tunnel’ cordoned off by Israeli forces the same day.

Palestinians security sources said Israeli occupation forces military vehicles raided Karma and called out from loudspeakers for the youth to come out of their homes and gather in the UN school yard.

Soldiers collected the identity cards of all the youth that assembled, and interrogated several before detaining eight.

Those kidnapped were 30-year-old Muhammed Abu Arqoub, 21-year-old Ibrahim Al-Sous, 20-year-old Nazih Al-Sous, 23-year-old Nael Bustanji, 21-year-old Samih Bustanji, 22-year-old Shaddad Bustanji , Midhat Khawatra and Majid Hijjo.

Israeli occupation forces block entrance to Hebron-area 'tunnel,' impose curfew

Date: 14 / 10 / 2008  Time:  14:48
Hebron – Ma’an –

More than a dozen Israeli occupation forces military vehicles invaded the southern West Bank town of Dura and imposed a strict curfew on Tuesday after Palestinian security uncovered a tunnel being dug near an Israeli bypass road.

The discovery of the tunnel was announced by Palestinian security Monday evening after the structure was found beneath a construction site in the Farsh Al-Hawa neighborhood near Dura, a town south west of Hebron.

The tunnel, which seemed to have been built as an excavation site in search of ancient artifacts, is located approximately five kilometers south of the Israeli-only West Bank bypass road 35.

After Palestinian security had investigated the area for close to 24 hours, Israeli troops closed in on the area and imposed a curfew.

According to Hebron security commander Samih As-Seifi police had been informed two years ago of digging in the Farsh Al-Hawa area. The man beneath whose property the hole was being dug informed police that he was digging a well, “which is not illegal,” As-Seifi affirmed.

On Monday night Palestinian detectives received more information indicating that the hole was not being used as a water well, but rather as some sort of tunnel. Security travelled to the scene, arrested several workers at the site, and seized digging tools.

As-Seifi himself entered the tunnel, and he explained that it was a “few meters deep at the beginning, then turned left, leading to a kind of room.” When he explored the underground cave, however, As-Seifi found nothing.

The tunnel is about 150 meters long, and is kilometers away from any Israeli settlements, bypass roads pr military bases.

Though he would not reveal details about the owner of the tunnel, As-Seifi affirmed that he had claimed to be in search of antiquities.

Military court commutes death sentences of three collaborators

Date: 14 / 10 / 2008  Time:  12:34
suspects [Ma'anImages]
Hebron – Ma’an –

A Palestinian military tribunal in Hebron on Tuesday reduced the sentences of three Palestinians who were previously sentenced to death for collaborating with the Israeli occupation forces.

The three are now sentenced to seven years of prison and hard labor. They had been convicted of aiding Israel and harming the interests of the Palestinian Authority.

It is noted that the trial was presided over by Judge Abdul-Karim Al-Masri, Judge Nabil Jaber and Judge Mehriz Atiyani, with presence of military Judge Issa Amro, and General Prosecutor Hani Al-Hayah and court assistant Abdul  Rahman Fannoun.

Three lawyers advocated on behalf of the defendants: Yousuf Rab’i, Raja’i Abu Khalaf and Dalal Al-Rujoub.

Collaboration, usually involving supplying information to Israeli occupation forces about Palestinian armed men, carries the death penalty in Palestinian law. The Palestinian president must also approve any death sentence before it can be carried out.

Israeli occupation soldiers shoot Palestinian at Huwwara checkpoint

Tuesday October 14, 2008 02:19 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Late Monday evening, Israeli occupation forces shot and wounded a 20-year old Palestinian man who attempted to cross the Huwwara checkpoint, which is one of the largest checkpoints maintained by the Israeli occupation army in the West Bank. Israeli occupation forces controlling the checkpoint had kept it closed for two hours straight in the midst of rush hour, with hundreds of Palestinians pressed up to the Wall, hoping to get home past the checkpoint.

According to local sources, Adham Shihadah, 20, began walking through the crossing, and did not stop when Israeli occupation soldiers shouted at him. The soldiers then began firing live rounds at the young man, injuring him in the foot. He was taken by car to Rafidia government hospital in Nablus, where medical personnel described his injuries as 'light to medium'.

Shihadah had apparently become frustrated with the daily hours-long wait at the checkpoint, which is located deep in the middle of Palestinian territory, far from the Israeli state. In addition, on Monday afternoon, Israeli authorities arbitrarily closed the checkpoint for no apparent reason.
 
The arbitrary closures of checkpoints is a common occurrence as well – not just at the Huwwara checkpoint, but at all of the 700 Israeli occupation forces checkpoints that cut up the Palestinian territory known as the 'West Bank' into hundreds of separated enclaves under complete Israeli military control.

IOF troops shoot at hundreds of Palestinians in Nablus

[ 14/10/2008 - 01:33 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)--

At least one Palestinian citizen was wounded Monday when Israeli occupation soldiers stationed at the infamous Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus city, shot at hundreds of Palestinian citizens waiting to cross the barrier.

Local eyewitnesses confirmed that the IOF troops fired in air after one Palestinian citizen made up his mind to bypass the checkpoint after waiting more than two hours without the soldiers allowing him to pass.

The Palestinian man refused to answer the soldiers' call on him to stop, and pursued his way to pass the barrier.

A state of confusion prevailed at the check point after Israeli soldiers used live bullets in shooting at hundreds of angry Palestinians who protested the intimidating practices of the IOF troops against them at the crossing point, wounding Palestinian youth Adham Shehada, 20, of Balata refugee camp, east of the city.

In a related matter, the Israeli occupation government released Palestinian citizen Rabie Harb, 24, from Eskaka village, east of Salfeet, after he became paralyzed due to the deliberate medical neglect on the part of the Israeli prison authority (IPA), family of Harb confirmed.

Palestinian sources quoted members of the family as affirming that they were striving hard to have their son treated abroad as he complains of fracture in the vertebrae.

In an unrelated matter, the PA health ministry in Gaza Strip confirmed that the tiny Strip was free of the Nile Fever although four cases were detected in the West Bank city of Qalqilia.

The fever is related to a certain kind of mosquitoes, but the ministry asserted it was coordinating with all concerned departments in the Strip to avoid the illness, urging the Strip's inhabitants to immediately report any suspicious cases, and directed them to follow a number of precautions to prevent the sickness.