Israeli military raids Ramallah after ties cut - Palestinians sources

Israeli military confirmes it had conducted arrests in the near-by Al Amari refugee camp but denies its troops entered Ramallah the seat of the Palestinian government

AFP|Updated:
The Israeli army raided Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the first such incursion since the Palestinian Authority cut security coordination with Israel, a Palestinian official told AFP.
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  • "Israeli forces entered Ramallah before dawn," interior ministry spokesman Ghassan Nimr said, noting that "three houses were searched" in the city but no arrests made.
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    מחסומים ליד רמאללה
    מחסומים ליד רמאללה
    IDF troops set up roadblocks near Ramallah, archive
    (Photo: AP)

    The PA is headquartered in Ramallah and the city is nominally under full Palestinian control, but the Israeli army has carried out numerous raids there.
    A security source said Israeli soldiers arrested a 20-year-old man in Al-Amari refugee camp near the city.
    The incursion sparked clashes between young residents and Israeli soldiers, who responded to stone-throwing with tear gas, the source added.
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    מבצע צה"ל במחנה הפליטים אל עמרי
    מבצע צה"ל במחנה הפליטים אל עמרי
    Israeli troops in the Al Amari refugee camp near Ramallah
    (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
    The Israeli military confirmed an arrest was made in the refugee camp, but a spokeswoman told AFP that the army "did not enter Ramallah overnight".
    The raids were the first since the PA announced mid-May that it was ending security coordination with Israel, the interior ministry spokesman said.
    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the step last month without further details, in a response to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
    More than 450,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements deemed illegal under international law, alongside 2.7 million Palestinians.
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    גבעת זאב
    גבעת זאב
    Israeli West Bank settlement of Givat Ze'ev
    (Photo: AFP)
    The Israeli government has said it could begin the annexation process from July 1, as part of a peace plan proposed by the United States.
    The initiative has been welcomed by Israel but rejected by the Palestinians, who cut ties with Washington in 2017 over its pro-Israel stance.
    Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has warned of a "hot summer" if Israel presses ahead with annexation, while the United Nations has said it will likely lead to violence.
    First published: 17:22, 06.16.20
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