Israel arrested 1070 Palestinians since the beginning of this year

A statistics' report published today revealed that Israeli occupation authorities have arrested 1070 Palestinian citizens since the beginning of the current year (2013). That is an 8.4% increase in the number of detainees since the start of this year compared with the same period last year (2012).The director of the Department of Palestinian POWs, Abdul-Nasser Farawneh, stated that more than 800,000 detentions have been recorded since 1967 that is 20% of the total number of all Palestinians residing in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).Farawneh added, marking the occasion of POWs' Day which falls on next Wednesday (April 17th) that out of 78,000 cases of detention recorded since the Al-Aqsa uprising dated September 2000, almost 950 Palestinian women had been arrested, more than 9000 minors, more than 50 MPs and a former cabinet minister, in addition to hundreds of political leaders, academicians, professionals and journalists. The report affirmed that the total number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons until April 2013 reached 4900 inmates in more than 17 prisons and detention centers, including 235 minors, 14 women, 14 MPs and two former cabinet ministers. Israeli occupation forces since 1967 issued more than 50,000 warrants of administrative arrest, including 23,000 since the uprising began on 28 September 2000 of whom 168 have still been incarcerated under administrative detention without any charges or court trial until now.Out of all Palestinian POWs in Israeli prisons and detention centers, 533 have received life prison term once, twice or more times. 105 veteran POWs arrested before Oslo Accord are still imprisoned, including 77 who have been detained for more than 20 years. 25 POWs have been detained for a quarter of a century by the beginning of this month. The report indicated that sick Palestinian POWs in Israeli prisons reached 1,200 suffering from various ailments.