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Popular Struggle Coordination Committee Nighttime House Raids Resume in Nabi Saleh In an expansion of its campaign of repression against the Palestinian popular struggle, the Israeli Army raided the village of Nabi Saleh twice this week. Expanding its campaign of repression of the popular struggle, the Israeli army raided the village of Nabi Saleh twice this past week. Over twenty houses were searched, most of the male population of the village under 25 years old was photographed, and ID information was recorded. The night raids are a part of an Israeli strategy of collective punishment of the village. While no arrests were made this week, villagers believe that Israel is preparing for a wave of arrests for those associated with the weekly demonstrations. Bassem Tamimi, a member of the village's popular committee whose house was raided said today that "Last time they raided houses and photographed our children, five were arrested in the following days. The entire village has not been raided before in this way. Soldiers literally went from house to house and photographed everyone." The hilltop village of Nabi Saleh is home to approximately 550 residents and is located 30 kilometers northeast of Ramallah along highway 465. Residents have been holding regular demonstrations against the creeping confiscation of their lands by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Halamish since December 2009. Protest was sparked after settlers, abated by the Army, forcefully took over a natural spring belonging to the village. In recent months Israel is waging a politically motivated campaign of repression against the Palestinian popular struggle that includes a policy of negligent use of arms, cover up of criminal misconduct and legal persecution. |