Ex-Palestinian prisoner accuses Israel soldier of looting his home during raid

A former Palestinian prisoner has accused Israeli soldiers of stealing large amounts of cash along with some valuable belongings during a recent raid of his home in the town of Issawiya in occupied East Jerusalem.

According to Wafa news agency, the soldier stole $1,500 and several goods including perfumes and electronic gadgets belonging to former prisoner Ibrahim Dirbas.

In addition to being jailed, Ibrahim was fined 107,000 shekels ($30,760) for receiving a stipend from the Palestinian Authority (PA) during his 22-month detention period.

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Attacks, assaults and acts of vandalism are frequently carried out on Palestinian towns and villages in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem both by illegal settlers and soldiers.

The looting comes after Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, issued an order last week, imposing financial penalties on 87 Palestinian prisoners from occupied East Jerusalem, for receiving stipends from the PA.The stipend is no different from social security payments in other countries, but Israel sees them as rewards for the families of resistance fighters.

Palestinian prisoners and their families are persecuted, harassed and routinely intimidated by Israeli occupation authorities.

There are 4,700 Palestinians in Israeli jails, of whom 551 are serving life sentences, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.

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