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Israel arrests Palestinian lawmaker in West Bank

Xinhua, January 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli forces raided early on Sunday homes of senior Hamas officials in the West Bank, arresting a Palestinian parliament member and five other people, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

A statement released by the Israeli army confirmed that Hatem Qafisha, a Hamas-affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was arrested, along with Issa al-Jaabari, an entrepreneur and former minister for local governance.

Both were detained in Hebron, a city in the southern West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

They were arrested "on suspicion of involvement in terror activity," said a military spokesperson, adding that both served sentences in Israeli prisons on security charges and released in March 2015.

Many of the recent Palestinian attacks occurred in Hebron. At least 150 Palestinians have been killed during the four-month-long bloody wave of violence.

Twenty-four Israelis and one U.S. national had been killed in lone-wolf stabbing, vehicular and shooting attacks by Palestinians over the same period. Endit