Israeli police arrest 24 Palestinians in Jerusalem

Israeli police Thursday launched a wide arrest campaign in the old town of Jerusalem, the East Jerusalem towns of abu Dees and al-aizaryeh, and arrested 24 Palestinians, including a Fatah member, according to local and security sources. They said that Israeli police, using police dogs, at dawn brutally raided several Palestinian homes in the old town of Jerusalem and arrested nine Palestinians, including a university student from Bethlehem University. Israeli police raided the towns of Abu Dees and al-Aizaryeh and arrested 15 Palestinians, including Fatah member Mohammad Mattar, for their participation in the Nakba day events and the demolishing of part of the segregation wall in al-Azyaryeh. Clashes erupted in abu Dees during and following the arrest of several Palestinians. Police fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets toward the residents who responded by throwing empty glass bottles and stones at the police. No injuries reported. Meanwhile, police raided several other homes in an attempt to arrest three other Palestinians who were not present at the time; police threatened to arrest their fathers if they don’t turn themselves in, which they did and they were released later. Police also provocatively raided and searched the house of head of al-Izaryeh village council Sofyan Bassa.