Israel re-arrests Palestinian MP Khalil al-Rib'i

[ 30/12/2010 - 12:10 PM ]

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Israeli authorities arrested Thursday morning Palestinian Legislative Committee representative Khalil al-Rib'i 13 months after his release from an earlier detention. Troops blockaded Rib'i's home in the southern Al-Khalil city of Yatta before breaking down  doors and windows and apprehending the Palestinian lawmaker. Rib'i previously spent 40 months jailed in Israel before he was set free 13 months back. Israel has arrested in less than three months four more politicians from the Change and Reform Bloc, which represents Hamas in the PLC. 11 Palestinian government representatives from other parties are also being detained in Israeli jails. The international campaign to free detained MPs condemned the repeated arrest, calling on parliamentarians the world over to break their silence over the violation of political rights. The campaign also called on rights groups to take legal action against Israel over repeated violations of international law. The repeated arrests signal Israel's failure to eliminate Palestinian representatives in light of their will of iron and people's support, the campaign said in a statement Thursday. -------- Hamas MP among 6 detained by Israel overnight   Published yesterday (updated) 31/12/2010 13:47   HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces detained Hamas MP Khalil Ar-Rabai from his home in the southern West Bank town of Yatta on Thursday morning, bringing back up to ten, the number of elected Legislative Council members detained by Israel. Family members of Ar-Rabai said troops surrounded then entered the home, then conducted a search of the building, causing damage to property. The official, who was detained in 2006 from Ramallah during a mass arrest campaign targeting Hamas lawmakers, was released less than one year ago. Israeli military officials said they were unable to comment as to the nature of his arrest, but confirmed that he was detained. A statement on the military's Twitter page said "6 Palestinians wanted for terrorist activity were arrested overnight in the West Bank & taken for security questioning." On Tuesday, troops arrested Hamas MP Mohammad At-Tal in a similar dawn raid on his home in the village of Zakariya, also near Hebron. Like Rabai, Tal was set free last year after a three-year stretch in jail. On December 1, Israeli troops arrested Naif Ar-Rajub just months after he was freed after four years in prison. The former Palestinian minister for religious affairs had been released in June. In the northern West Bank, local officials said five were detained from the village of Barta’a, south of Jenin. Member at the village council Tawfiq Kabha told Ma'an that troops entered the area in the early morning, entering homes and shops, and confiscating goods. Four residents and a fifth man from Jenin were taken by the invading troops, he said. AFP contributed to this report