Palestinians slam Israel for raiding Islamic charity in West Bank

Palestinian Islamic Affairs and Waqf Minister Yousef Ideis on Saturday condemned the Israeli military raid on Islamic Zakat Charity Committee in Bethlehem, south of the West Bank.

Minister Ideis told Xinhua that those are systematic actions by Israel that target the Palestinian institutions and run counter to humanitarian values and ethics.

The charity will continue to offer its humanitarian services for Palestinians in the city, Ideis vowed.

He called for providing such charity committees with protection and guarantees to allow it to continue its work for Palestinians in those difficult times.

Mohammad Rizq, head of the charity, told Xinhua that an Israeli force surrounded the committee building in the center of the city and stormed into the offices after blowing its doors and seized computers, cheque books and files related to orphans and poor people.

Rizq said that this is the second assault in one year noting that it only aims at obstructing the work of the committee.

Israeli sources were not immediately available to comment on the incident. Endit