One Million Palestinians Arrested Since 1967

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian boy during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, Oct. 13, 2017. - REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian boy during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, Oct. 13, 2017. - REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
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One Million Palestinians Arrested Since 1967

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian boy during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, Oct. 13, 2017. - REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian boy during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, Oct. 13, 2017. - REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Head of the Palestinian Authority Prisoners' Affairs Commission Qadri Abu Bakr called on the international community to break its silence and act promptly to put an end to the continuous arrests against the Palestinians.

Abu Bakr said that Palestinians are paying a high price as Israel’s disrespect of the international agreements and charters continue, stressing that the situation needs to end.

Around one million Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces since the 1967 Middle East war, according to the Palestinian Authority Prisoners' Affairs Commission.

"Around 17,000 women and girls and 50,000 children were among those detained," the Commission said in a statement on Saturday.

The NGO said more than 54,000 administrative detention orders were recorded since 1967.

"A total of 226 detainees have died inside Israeli prisons since 1967," it added.

The NGO said all those detained experienced "some form of physical or psychological torture, moral abuse, and cruel treatment".

The Commission noted that the Israeli occupation adopted the policy of arrests since 1967. Arrests became a daily phenomenon and an integral part of the life of Palestinians.

For his part, Fatah deputy chief Mahmoud al-Aloul stressed that the Palestinian people insist on fighting for their rights and for ending the occupation, especially their right of return.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.