Ref: 129/2011

Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) are conducting a wave of arrests against political
leaders, activists and members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the West Bank.  IOF have also stormed the office of Members of
the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) from the Change and Reform Bloc
affiliated to Hamas in Tulkarm, and confiscated some of its contents.  This campaign coincides with the forty-fourth
anniversary of the establishment of PFLP, 11 December 2011, and the
forty-second anniversary of the establishment of Hamas, 14 December 2011.

According to
investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), at
approximately 01:00 on Wednesday, 07 December 2011, IOF arrested Dr. Ibrahim
Abdul Haqq, 65, from his house in Nablus. 
Abdul Haqq is a political leader of the PFLP and a lecturer at the
Faculty of Economics at al-Najah University. 
IOF also arrested Dr. “Mohammed ‘Azzam” Sobhi Husni Ghazal,
54, a leader of Hamas and a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering at al-Najah
University as well.  Another six members of
Hamas were also arrested in Nablus.

On 06 December
2011, IOF stormed the office of the Hamas affiliated Change and Reform Bloc in
Tulkarm, breaking down the outside gate and door to the office while breaking
in.  IOF confiscated two computer hard
drives from the office, in addition to a laptop and documents relevant to PLC Members
and their communication with human rights organizations.

The arrest campaign
started on 01 December 2011.  It has targeted
11 leaders and members of PFLP, including a member of PFLP’s Central Committee,
Abdul Nasser Abdul ‘Afou Mohammed Abdul ‘Aziz, 55, who is known as (Nasser
‘Aziz); and Ahmed Saleh Mesleh Abu Hassan (Abu Mashhour), 70, a member of the
Palestinian National Council.  Another
three persons were also arrested in Beit Foreek village, east of Nablus.  On 02 December 2011, IOF arrested:

1. Yasser
al-Badrasawi, 47, a leader of Hamas in Nablus;

2. His
brother Jameel, 64;

3. The
latter’s son, Haytham, 24; and

4. Reda
Mahmoud Mohammed Khaled, 53, a leader of PFLP in Nablus

Another three
members of PFLP were arrested in Nablus on 05 December 2011.

In light of the
above, PCHR:

1. Strongly condemns this arrest campaign waged by IOF against
political leaders and members of PFLP and Hamas, and condemns storming the
office of PLC Members from the Change and Reform Bloc in Tulkarm; and

2. Calls upon the international community, including the European
Union and UN bodies, to assume their responsibility through immediately taking
measures to put an end to the violations of international law committed by Israel
against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.