 Israeli security forces detained a Palestinian politician from Hamas on Sunday, witnesses and the army said, as part of a two-month dragnet against senior officials from the governing Islamist faction. Witnesses said Mahmoud Musleh was taken into custody at his home in Ramallah, the Palestinians' cultural and political hub in the occupied West Bank. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the detention but declined to say why it was ordered.
| “The detentions have drawn foreign censure and speculation that Israel was gathering high-level "bargaining chips" to force Corporal Gilad Shalit's return.” |
Israel has detained at least 35 Hamas politicians and cabinet members since Gaza Strip gunmen, some from Hamas, killed two soldiers and abducted a third in a June 25 border raid. The detentions have drawn foreign censure and speculation that Israel was gathering high-level "bargaining chips" to force Corporal Gilad Shalit's return. Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to topple the Hamas-led government. Israeli officials called the detentions a security measure. Formally dedicated to the Jewish state's destruction, Hamas helped spearhead a Palestinian uprising that erupted in 2000, though it has largely abided by a cease-fire declared last year. |