More than 540 Palestinians were detained or arrested by
Israeli forces last month in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and
East Jerusalem and the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to a report
released Wednesday.
Jointly issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s
committee on detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, an
NGO, the report states that a total of 544 Palestinians --
including 130 children and 10 women -- were rounded up by Israeli
forces in October.
"Of these," the report found, "261 were detained in East
Jerusalem, 279 in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and four in the
Gaza strip."
The report also notes that, last month alone, Israel referred
120 Palestinian prisoners to "administrative detention" -- a policy
by which prisoners can be held for up to one year without trial or
charge.
The Israeli army frequently carries out sweeping arrest
campaigns in the occupied territories that ostensibly target
"wanted" Palestinians.
Over 7,000 Palestinian prisoners -- including 400 minors -- are
currently languishing in jails throughout the Jewish state,
according to Palestinian government figures.