A prominent Palestinian human rights activist, Salah Khawaja, was arrested 26 October following a pre-dawn raid by Israeli troops.
Khawaja was detained after twenty soldiers stormed Khawaja’s flat in the old town of Ramallah. Under the agreements of the Oslo Accords, Israeli troops have no legal jurisdiction in ‘Area A’ of the West Bank, which includes Ramallah.
Reports say the soldiers destroyed Khawaja’s computer and furniture and also illegally ordered Khawaja to unlock his phone. Having refused he was detained.
An Israeli spokesman stated that Khawaja was arrested for unspecified “illegal activities.”
Following the raid, clashes broke out between Israeli soldiers in the area and local Palestinian youths.
Khawaja is an important figure in the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), a Palestinian political party aimed at providing an alternative to Hamas and Fatah. He is also a leading member of the Palestinian BDS movement.
General Secretary of the PNI, Mustafa Barghouti, said, the arrest was “not justified in any way. This arrest is clearly directed at all activists who peacefully struggle for their rights. This incident will not break our popular will and the non-violent resistance that we represent.”
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