Israel extends detention of 2 Hamas lawmakers

An Israeli court on Wednesday extended the detention of two Hamas lawmakers from the West Bank for six more months, the parliamentary bloc of the Islamic movement said. The court has extended the detention of Hamas lawmaker Khalil al-Reby for the third time. Ayman Daraghma, the other member of Hamas Parliament who was arrested a few weeks ago, has also been sentenced to six months in prison. "These acts are unacceptable ... this shows the true face of Israel's haughtiness," the bloc said in a press release. Israel detains 22 Palestinian lawmakers, 19 of them from the Islamic Hamas movement which Israel considers a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, Israeli troops arrested Wednesday 17 Palestinians, including a journalist, during large-scale search operations in a number of West Bank cities. Israel's Radio reported that the arrestees were wanted Hamas members.