TEL AVIV – The Israeli army has arrested a Palestinian parliamentarian and a retired military general, according to Anadolu Agency.
The occupation forces raided Nasser Abdel Gawad’s residence in the West Bank city of Salfit before arresting him on Monday morning.
On Sunday, the Israeli forces arrested Maj Gen (r) Yousef Al-Sharqawi. The Palestinian officer was detained in occupied Jerusalem and was taken to an unknown destination.
Al-Sharqawi, 60, is from Bethlehem. He served as a senior officer in the National Security Service of the Palestinian Authority before his retirement.
Commenting on Nasser Abdel Gawad’s detention, Palestinian MP Fathi al-Qaraawi of the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform bloc said continuous arrests of deputies of the Palestinian Legislative Council who are entitled to parliamentary immunity is a flagrant violation of international law.
“Israel rejected the results of the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and arrested all Hamas deputies (in the West Bank including Jerusalem) and continues to punish the Palestinian people for this by arresting the group’s deputies,” al-Qaraawi said.
The Change and Reform bloc won the 2006 Palestinian elections with an overwhelming majority.
Al-Qaraawi added the arrest is an attempt to block opposition to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The latest arrest raises the number of jailed Palestinian parliamentarians to 11.
