Watch: West Bank Hamas leadership in Israeli custody
Security forces arrest nearly all of Hamas' West Bank leaders in a third night of large-scale arrests.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, YAAKOV LAPPINIsrael arrests speaker of Palestinian parliament(photo credit: REUTERS)
As the intensive search for the kidnapped Israeli boys continues, Israeli security forces arrested nearly all Hamas leaders in the West Bank. There have been reports that some of the Hamas members arrested will be deported as well.Hamas' parliamentary speaker in the West Bank Abdel Aziz Dweck was among 50 people arrested by security forces Sunday night and Monday morning. Hamas leaders Bassem al-Za'arir, Azzam Salhab, Samir al-Qadi and Maher al-Kharraz were also among those taken into custody.The arrests come on the heels of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's announcement that Hamas was responsible for the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel, on Thursday.On Sunday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denied charges of the terror organization's involvement in the kidnappings, calling the accusations "stupid."Since the waves of arrests began on Friday, some 150 Palestinians have been arrested by security forces, most of them Hamas members.The teenagers were kidnapped late Thursday night while hitchhiking near Hebron.
