PA continues to arrest Hamas supporters despite reconciliation agreement

The Palestinian Authority’ security apparatus has not halted the campaign of arrests of Hamas supporters across the occupied West Bank, despite the signing the reconciliation agreement in Gaza four days ago.

In Tulkarm, the General Intelligence Service re-arrested Alaa Kharyosh after he was summoned for questioning on Saturday. Kharyosh is the brother of Mohammed Kharyosh, who was detained a month and a half ago.

In Hebron, the Preventive Security Service (PSS) summoned 27-year-old Taha Mohamed Shalaldeh from the town of Sa’ir north of Hebron on Tuesday. Shalaldeh is a former political prisoner. He spent more than 19 months in PSS prisons.

In Salfit on Saturday, a force from the General Intelligence Service raided the home of the freed prisoner Mohammed Hamada Al-Diek, 37, from the town of Kafr Al-Diek, in a failed attempt to arrest him. At the same time, the force raided and searched the homes of his relatives.

Al-Diek has been arrested numerous times by PA security services in the West Bank.

The PA’s intelligence in Salfit also arrested the freed prisoner Osama Shaheen, 42; he was a former political prisoner.

In Jenin on Friday evening the PA’s security apparatus attacked a motorcade of vehicles belonging to civilians who were celebrating the exit of a wounded resident from the hospital. He had been injured amid the assassination of Ezzeddin Al-Qassam’s Abu Hamza Al-Hija and his two companions.

Local sources reported that dozens of residents’ vehicles welcomed Mahmoud Abu Kamel, 22, after he completed his treatment in Nablus; he had been shot by occupation forces in the Jenin refugee camp about a month ago.

The sources said the residents were attacked by elements of the PA security apparatus as soon as they headed to the city of Jenin from the area of the Shohada Triangle towards the camp. Occupation forces fired at them, creating tensions between the two parties.