Ref: 52/2011 

In the past 48 hours, Israeli Occupation Forces
(IOF) have waged a campaign of arrests that targeted Palestinian political leaders
and activists in the West Bank, including current and former members of the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and leaders of Hamas and Islamic
Jihad. IOF have also closed two
charities linked with Islamic Jihad. During this campaign of arrest, IOF arrested two PLC Members and a
former one, two female community activists, an academic and 11 political
activists. The Palestinian Center for
Human Rights (PCHR) condemns this campaign of arrest and the closure of two
charities, and calls upon the international community to act towards compelling
the government of Israel to stop its systematic crimes against Palestinian
civilians. 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR,
on Tuesday morning, IOF waged a wide scale campaign against leaders, activists
and charities of Islamic Jihad in Jenin in the northern West Bank. During this campaign, IOF arrested 12
Palestinians, including two women, and closed two charities linked with Islamic
Jihad after confiscating their contents. However, IOF failed to arrest Khader Mousa, a political leader of
Islamic Jihad, when they raided his house and harassed his family.

In Arraba village, southwest of Jenin, IOF
arrested Saja Jasser Shaibani, 23, an employee of the Islamic Relief
Association for Orphans; Muna Hussein Qe’dan, 40, Director of al-Baraa’
Association for Muslim Girls; and Mohammed ‘Azmi Mardawi, 30. However, they failed to arrest Khader ‘Adnan
Mousa, 32, a leader of Islamic Jihad. They handed a notice to his wife ordering him to refer to Salem military
post, northwest of Jenin, within 12 hours, claiming that he is wanted.

In al-Zababda village, southeast of Jenin, IOF
arrested Taha Najeh Sharqaqi, 24, a university student. In Jaba’ village, south of the town, IOF
arrested Murad Waleed Malaisha, 22, and Ibrahim As’ad Baddad, 43. In Kufor Ra’ei village, southwest of the
town, IOF arrested Majdi Waleed al-Sheikh Ibrahim, 30, and Bilal Nabeel Diab,
27. In ‘Aanin village, west of the town,
IOF arrested Jamal Abdul Fattah Yousef, 33. In Seilat al-Harthiya village, northwest of Jenin, IOF arrested three
Palestinians: Mohammed Saleem Shalabi, 38; Fadi Ahmed Zayoud “al-Sa’di,” 26;
and Mohammed Wajeeh Jaradat, 26. 

On the same day, IOF raided two offices on the
third floor of al-Bassatin building in the center of Jenin. One of the offices belongs al-Baraa’
Association for Muslim Girls, and the other one belongs to the Islamic Relief
Association for Orphans, whose parent organization is inside Israel. 

In the evening, Israeli soldiers positioned at
the Container checkpoint at the eastern entrance of al-Sawahra village, east of
Jerusalem, arrested Nizar ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Ramadan, 47, a PLC Member from the
Change and Reform Bloc – the parliamentary bloc of Hamas. Israeli soldiers arrested Ramadan after holding
him together with ‘Aziz Dwaik, Speaker of the PLC and PLC Members, Anwar
Zaboun, from Bethlehem, and Bassem al-Za’arir, from Hebron, for more than 4
hours. 

On Thursday morning, 02 June 2011, IOF arrested
‘Abdul Rahman Fahmi Zaidan, 51, a PLC Member from the Change and Reform Bloc,
from his house in Deir al-Ghossoun village north of Tulkarm. In Nablus, IOF arrested Hussam Mahmoud
Khader, 48, a former PLC Member from Fatah movement, from his house in Balata
refugee camp east of Nablus. IOF also
arrested Yasser Ibrahim al-Badrassawi, 46, a trader, and Ghassan Nayef Thouqan,
54, an academic.

PCHR reiterates condemnation for this arrest
campaign and the closure of two charities. PCHR calls upon the international community to immediately act to stop
such crimes. PCHR further reiterates the
call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
fulfill their obligation under Article 1 of the Convention to respect and
ensure respect for the Convention in all times, and their obligation under
Article 146 to prosecute those suspected of perpetrating grave breaches of the
Convention, which constitute war crimes according to Article 147 of the
Convention, and the Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Convention, and ensure
protection for Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory.