PA continues to arrest Hamas operatives in West Bank
Detainees include reporter who interviewed Noam Shalit, Palestinian parliament member and Interior Ministry employee suspected of trying to build up Hamas in West Bank
Fatah's wave of arrests of Hamas operatives in the West Bank continued this week, as a number of senior Hamas members, including a Palestinian parliament member and Hamas reporter were detained on Tuesday.
A week after his interview with Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was broadcast, Preventive Security forces arrested Muhammad Shteiwi, Hamas' West Bank reporter in Tulkarem.
Palestinian sources in Tulkarem reported that Shteiwi had been hiding out in the city ever since PA forces began arresting Hamas men a few weeks ago.
Following his arrest, Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority of kidnapping the reporter. The Preventive Security Service, however, reported that Shteiwi was not taken, but turned himself in.
Three senior Hamas officials were also arrested Tuesday, including Ahmad Haj Ali, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Dullah, a senior clerk at the Palestinian Interior Ministry, and another Hamas official from Jericho.
Dullah is suspected of commanding a special force which has been working toward establishing Hamas in Nablus and the West Bank in order to fight the Palestinian Authority.
After his arrest, it was decided that Haj Ali should be freed, since he was a politician. Nonetheless Haj Ali said he would not be released without Dulleh, a member of Hamas' military wing.
Fatah sources reported that anyone suspected of armed activity, membership in Hamas' military wing or activity towards establishing Hamas in the West Bank would remain in prison - anyone else was free to go.
In resopnse to the arrests, Hamas sources warned that the movement was growing impatient with the continued wave of arrests, which they said was crossing the red lines.
