JCESR deplores the wide campaign of arrests in Shu'fat Refugee camp
Monday, 08 February 2010 11:43
JCESR deplores the wide campaign of arrests in Shu'fat Refugee camp
Feb, 8, 2010
Since the early hours of this morning big numbers of Israeli forces raided Shu'fat refugee camp and conducted a wide campaign of search for arrest. The campaign included also Anata village, Dahiet al-Salam, Ras Khamis, Ras Shihadeh.
According to residents of the camp, the campaign is the biggest since many years. Khader al-Dibes, member of the Popular Committee in the camp reported that hundreds of Border Guards and police forces accompanying with a helicopter and police dogs participated in the campaign which conducted house-to-house search looking for weapons, political activists particularly affiliated with Hamas, Fatah and other PLO factions in addition to Palestinian workers from West Bank.
Dibes added that among the arrested persons, Fatah activists: Amir Khader, son of Fatah Secretary in the camp, Mu'taz Jamal al-Dibes, Hamzeh Khalil al-Dibes, Hamzeh Khalil al-Dibes, Oday Abu al-Sa'd, Ibrahim Sameer al-Dibí, Hasan abu al-Teen, Ali Issa in addition to 20 West Bank workers who were present in the camp. According to Dibes, so far there are reports that at least 60 Palestinian had been arrested.
According to JCESR sources, several medical centers including the center which is run by Doctor Hazem Zigayar and a number of workshops were raided and three doctors had been arrested on allegation that they are holders of West Bank IDs. The resources added that some civil society organizations were also raided.
JCESR deplores the campaign which included intimidation of children and women, arrest of medical staff and vandalism. Meanwhile, the center calls for treating the detainees in consent with the fourth Geneva Convention.
The center believes that the campaign will escalate the economic situation of the impoverished refugees who suffer of hardships and thus call the UNRWA to respond.
JCESR believes that the campaign contradicts with international efforts to bring both parties to the negotiation table and does not help in building confidence in the peace process.
Shu'fat refugee camp, is a home for around 25,000 Palestinians refugees mostly depopulated from the Jewish quarter inside the old city following the Israeli occupation in 1967. The camp is being isolated from Jerusalem with the segregation wall and has only two entrances.