Israeli forces detained a prominent Palestinian activist for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in the early hours of Thursday morning, relatives told Middle East Eye.
General coordinator of the Palestinian National BDS Committee (BNC) Mahmoud Nawajaa, 33, was arrested in his home in the occupied West Bank village of Abu Qash near Ramallah at around 3am, his wife Ruba Alayan said.
“Around 50 soldiers were there,” she said. “They broke the doors and the locks, and they covered Mahmoud’s eyes, handcuffed him, and also took his computer and some personal effects.”
Alayan added that the couple’s three young children witnessed the arrest.
“They woke up and they were terrified. We were all surprised by what happened, there was no reason for it and none of us expected it,” she said.
The raid came just a day before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Israeli forces reportedly detained at least 17 other Palestinians on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
According to Jamal Jumaa, another leading member of the BNC, Nawajaa’s whereabouts remained unknown.
“Until now we have no idea where Mahmoud was taken,” he told MEE on Thursday morning.
Jumaa said his colleague’s arrest was part of a broader Israeli crackdown on the Palestinian struggle against the occupation, whether violent or non-violent.
“They are attacking any form of resistance movement in Palestine, including the BDS movement,” he said.