RAMALLAH – The Israeli forces operating in several Palestinian areas arrested nine “wanted” Palestinian residents on early Tuesday, hours after the release of prominent Palestinian prisoner Samer Al-Eisawi. Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, two from the town of Beitunia, to the west of Ramallah and two from the town of Beit Fajjar, to the south of Bethlehem. The Palestinian sources said that the Israeli soldiers thoroughly searched the houses of the residents and ordered them to get dressed and then were taken to Israeli army detention facilities. The Israeli army spokesman's office said that the nine were wanted for Israeli security forces and were taken in for questioning by agents of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence agency. The Palestinian Authority (PA) says that the daily Israeli raids in the West Bank cities and villages hinder its security forces to tighten their grip on the Palestinian territories. Israel does not allow the PA to have any security role in specific areas in the West Bank that the 1993 Oslo peace agreement between the two sides classified as C areas, which makes up more than 60 percent of the West Bank lands. The development comes hours after Israeli authorities released al- Eisawi after more than 17 months in jail. Eisawi, from town of Al-Issawiya in occupied Jerusalem, was received by hundreds of relatives, friends and supporters. Eisawi served ten years of a 30-year jail sentence in an Israeli prison before he was released in an Egypt-brokered prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas movement in October 2011. Under the deal, Israel soldier Gilad Shalit, who spent more than five years in Hamas captivity, was freed in exchange of the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli security forces rearrested him in June 2012 for trying to enter the West Bank from Jerusalem, and Israel accused him of violating the release conditions in the swap deal. In August 2012, Eisawi started his nine-month long hunger strike, accusing the Israeli authorities of arresting him for no convincing reasons. Following a series of sessions held by the Israeli courts, Israel finally decided to release him on Dec. 23. According to recent Palestinian statistics, Israel is holding 4,900 Palestinian prisoners in its in 23 prisons and detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank of whom 234 children, 15 females, 15 members of Palestine Legislative Council, 135 in administrative detention without trial and hundreds suffer from medical negligence. This week, a third group of Palestinian prisoners is slated to be released by Israel, as per its agreement with the PA and the Americans. Palestinian sources said that the release will coincide with US Secretary of State John Kerry's presentation of a framework agreement for Israel and the PA. On July, Israel agreed to a four-stage release of 104 prisoners in order to facilitate the resumption of American-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. In the first stage of the release this past August, 26 Palestinians were freed. In the second stage of the deal this October, 21 prisoners were released.
