Friday, April 1, 2011

Palestinian lawmaker detained in Hebron raid

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained a Palestinian lawmaker and three others in a raid on Hebron early Thursday.

Muhammad Maher Bader was detained after soldiers raided his house, a Ma'an correspondent reported from the scene.

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the detention, saying Bader was detained because he is "involved with the Hamas terror organization."

Bader, elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council under Hamas' Change and Reform bloc, was also arrested in 2006, during an series of mass arrests by Israeli forces. He was among more than a dozen Hamas members detained in raids that sought to secure the release of an Israeli soldier, captured in June 2006, by factions in Gaza.

In Beit Ummar, near Hebron, soldiers detained Nidal Za’aqiq, 19, Muhammad Za’aqiq, 16, and Shihda Ady, 18.