<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Hamas denounces political arrest of senior PLC&nbsp;member]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<table width="100%" align="center">
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<td><span class="PublishedDate">[ 					10/11/2010 &#8211; 04:26 PM ] </span></td>
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<p style="font-size:10pt;">DAMASCUS, (PIC)&#8211; The Palestinian  resistance movement Hamas strongly denounced Israeli authorities for the  arrest of senior Palestinian Legislative Council official Mahmoud Al  Ramahi Wednesday, calling for his immediate release.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">The resistance group condemned in a  statement it issued Wednesday the move as a “crime”, adding that Israeli  authorities seek to silence “anyone who calls to protect and restore  Palestinian national rights”.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">The group said it holds the Israeli  government fully responsible for the life and well-being of Dr. Ramahi,  calling on the Palestinian Authority and Fatah parties to put an end to  all forms of security coordination, “which grants the occupation a cover  for more crimes against the land and people.”</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">PLC chief Dr. Aziz Dweik, addressing the  media Wednesday, called on politicians the world over to stand in the  face of Israel’s “disregard of the Palestinian people and their  legitimate leaders”, also calling on decision-makers to uphold their  responsibilities toward the Palestinian people and preserve their  democratic choice when choosing their legal representatives.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">Fouad Al-Khafsh, director of the Ahrar  human rights center in Palestine, said Ramahi’s arrest demonstrates  Israel’s complete denial of Palestine’s legitimacy, abuse of every sense  of democracy,  and real disregard of all international conventions and  norms, which provide elected politicians complete immunity, especially  from foreign entities.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">“This was the second time Dr. Mahmoud Al  Ramahi was arrested while he was a member of the legislative council. He  was abducted Aug. 20, 2006 and released March 31, 2009 after spending  33 months in detention; and it was the third time in Dr. Mahmoud  al-Ramahi’s history, as he was placed in detention  Feb. 16, 1992 until  Apr. 15., 1995.”</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">Ramahi’s wife told the Ahrar center that a  large Israeli military force raided their Al-Beira home at 3:00am in  the West Bank city of Ramallah Wednesday morning and took him to an  unknown destination after requesting that he leave with them.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">Khafsh added that Anas Halayeqa, son of  PLC member Samira Al-Halayeqa, and PLC member representing Al-Khalil  Hatim Qufaisha, MP Al-Za’arir, and Abdul-Jabir Fuqaha from Ramahllah  were also recently detained by Israeli forces.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">Rights groups in Palestine assert that  Israel’s unjustified spree of arrests against politicians is aimed at  impairing the PLC until it becomes unable to pass decisions.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">The Palestinian Center for Human Rights  said Ramahi was detained to deliberately exclude him form the outside  world, adding that Israeli forces have abducted almost all West Bank and  Jerusalem PLC members, especially those nominally allied under the  title of “Islamic representatives”.</p>
<p style="font-size:10pt;">A total of ten PLC members have been  placed in Israeli detention, seven of them belonging to the Change and  Reform Bloc. They have been identified as: Hassan Yousef, Mohammed Abu  Teir, Basim Al-Za’arir, Abdel-Jabir Al-Fuqaha, Dr. Ayman Daraghima, Dr,.  Hatim Qufaisha, and Dr. Mahmoud Al-Ramahi. Fatah party MPs Marwan  Al-Barghouthi and Jamal Al-Teirawi, and Popular Front MP Ahmad Saadat  have also been detained.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s71EeRrx5OdJltUsfQweBVEYmXveIefo6NWWA6%2bOAe1XFmRNA9Zg2uBiI11YYZbZQCdJBLVL282ylET%2b9%2bSzqBTby1A%2bq%2fmaG%2b501%2fRAczU6M%3d">Hamas denounces political arrest of senior PLC member</a>.</p>
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