Italian peace activist injured at Bil’in protest

Date: 05 / 09 / 2008  Time:  21:02
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

On the first anniversary of the decision of the Israeli Supreme court that the Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall running through the village of Bil’in was illegal, residents and internationals gathered at the site of the ongoing construction for the wall for a protest.

The now weekly protests consistently call for an end to the construction of the illegal Wall on village lands. On Friday the protesters marched to where construction workers and troops installed razor wire to block the protest.

As marchers attempted to move the wire to march to the site of the wall, Israeli occupation soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs at the group. Dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation and an Italian woman was hit with a canister of tear gas.

When demonstrators reached the gate in the Apartheid Wall and tried to remove it, soldiers sprayed the group with water containing blue dye.

Homes raided, 2 Hamas-affiliated activists kidnapped near Bethlehem

Date: 05 / 09 / 2008  Time:  13:30
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

Two members of the Islamic Resistance Movement affiliated with Hamas were detained on Friday night, and several homes were raised near Bethlehem.

Security sources reported to Ma’an that an Israeli occupation force stormed Bethlehem and overran the town and kidnapped Hamas activists, including 26-year-olds Hamza Mohammed Al-Shaikh and Mohammed Ali Rabah Al-Shaikh. The men were taken to an unknown location.

The sources added that the Israeli occupation army raided the Al-Duhaisha refugee camp in Bethlehem and kidnapped Adel ‘Attia Ramadan, then released him after several hours of investigations while Israeli occupation forces raided his home.

The home of Majdi Mustafa Sobeh in the Al-Balou’a area in Bethlehem was also raided.

Israeli occupation forces kidnap 16 Palestinians in the West Bank

Date: 05 / 09 / 2008  Time:  09:26
Hebron – Ma’an –

Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 17 Palestinian citizens from West Bank cities on Friday. Thirteen of them were kidnapped from Beit Kahil north of Hebron, and four from towns surrounding Ramallah.

Ma’an’s correspondent reported from Beit Kahil, saying that an Israeli occupation forces operation involving at least 25 military vehicles was conducted in the village late Thursday night. The vehicles overran the area and broke into dozens of homes, arresting 13.

Those kidnapped were:

Ahmed Muhammed Ibrahim Al-‘Eqel , a school teacher
Murad Abdul Wahed Al-‘Eqel, a university student
Ayman Ahmed Muhammed Al-Zuhur, a student
Nafedh Muhammed Al-‘Asafrah, a teacher
Muhammad Issa Al-‘Asafrah, a university student
Ahmed Abdul Qader Al-‘Asafrah
Muhammed Sulayman Al-‘Asafrah and his brothers Fawzi and Mahmoud Abdul Qader ‘Asafrah
Faisal Mahmoud Al-Zuhur
Sami Abdullah Al-‘Asafrah

Two members from the Al-Zuhur family (Mu’atassem Khaled Al-Zuhur and Muhsen Abdullah Al-‘Atawnah) received a statement from the Israeli intelligence unit instructing them to surrender.

The men were kidnapped and taken to an unknown location by troops, who withdrew from the village at 3:30 am on Friday morning.

While it appears that the men did not surrender themselves, no clashes occurred.