GAZA: Palestinian leaders react to Israel's arrest of Hamas member and Deputy Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer

Israel arrested Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer, a top official of the Hamas militant group, at his home in the occupied West Bank on Saturday (August 19, 2006), his wife and two lawmakers said. Israel has more than two dozen Hamas lawmakers and several other cabinet ministers in custody since late June, after it launched an offensive in response to the kidnapping of a soldier in a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed troops had arrested al-Shaer, saying it was "due to his membership in a terrorist organisation." Huda al-Shaer, the official's wife, said he was arrested at their home in the West Bank town of Ramallah before dawn. She told Reuters that "several jeeps circled the house before dawn" then troops came to the door. An officer told her after checking their identity documents: "Sorry madam, but your husband has to come with us." "Let him first say good-bye to our four children," al-Shaer said. Two lawmakers from Hamas, a militant group that seeks Israel's destruction and swept to power in the Palestinian Authority in March elections, also confirmed al-Shaer's arrest. Hamas leader and spokesman Mushir Al-Masri called the arrest a violation. "Kidnapping Palestinian Deputy Prime minister, Dr. Nasser Al-Shaer is a Zionist piracy and violation against the international laws and the human ethics. The Zionist enemy aims to kneel the Palestinian people and to fall the Palestinian government and the political system," Al-Masri told Reuters Television. Ghazi Hammad, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, also condemned the arrest and said: "Arresting Dr. Nasser AlShaer, these kind of arrests started from the beginning of last month. This is exposure to the government and the ministers, the legislatives," Hammad added," Today, they arrested Dr. Nasser Al-Shaer. It is an obvious message to the world that Israel does not want a Palestinian political system or even stability in the Palestinian life. You can realise that this arrest comes after two days of (Palestinian) dialogues to perform a unity government, Israel wants to abort this and all the efforts to perform this government." The boycott is designed to push the militant group to recognise Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and accept past peace accords. Israel arrested dozens of Hamas cabinet ministers and lawmakers after militants seized Corporal Gilad Shalit on June 24. Many were later freed. Al-Shaer had been on the wanted list but had not been found, Palestinian sources said. Violence has continued in the West Bank and Gaza during Israel's month-long war with Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. A six-day-old ceasefire in the war in Lebanon has largely held. Israeli troops killed three Palestinian militants in these territories on Friday (August 18), while three Palestinians from Hamas's armed wing died as they prepared a bomb in the town of Jenin.

ITN Source | August 19, 2006

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